"I"m Only Going Because My Teacher Told Me To" Nov. 2016 PTR * update 12/2 TRIP REPORT STARTED! *

[kclark9830]

Sometimes, They Surprise Us​

And by "they" I mean men. And if we're lucky they make us laugh often. Steve did both while we were out shopping today.
He decided to play hooky from work today because yesterday he had to go to Pennsylvania for work and got home really late. A plus to his job (District Manager with Starbucks - not sure if I've ever mentioned that) is he can generally set is own daily schedule with the exception of out of town meetings and conference calls, which he usually takes form home. I had to run errands today so he came with me to the mall.

I was mainly looking for clothes for the boys but Steve wanted a few new shirts for our trip. We were in JC Penney and, as usual, he wandered away from me......and a few minutes later I hear, "Hey look what I found, look at this! Did you know they had Disney clothes here??" (of course I did) And he holds this up



I know what you're thinking. That it's one of, if not the, ugliest Mickey shirt you've ever seen. I know, because I did, too! And I thought for sure he was only showing me to let me know JCP was cool with Disney so I started laughing. Until he says, "The material is so nice and thin, I can wear it in Nov. AND August!!"
I was seriously in shock but hey, I'm just glad he's been willing to wear Disney shirts the last few years. So I walked with him over to where all the mens Disney stuff was and ended up getting 3 of those shirts, one for each of the boys. And let me tell you how THRILLED they are to have them Chris laughed and said he won't wear it but then tried it on and kept it on for like an hour; Ricky said he'll wear it but not at the same time as the other 2. Steve told him he'll wear it when I tell him to........now I'm thinking of going back and getting myself one even though it's still not my favorite, but it's growing on me!

Now for a couple changes.
-First, I moved our Trails End ADR from 8am to 9am on Sun. Aug. 28th. We have to leave our house about 4:45ish in the morning on the 27th for the airport so I decided I didn't want to get up and to a reservation that early the next day. Not that Steve will sleep late as he never does, and I won't sleep in late, but 9 is much better than 8. We'll still head to Epcot after. The only things we'd want to ride that may require a FP or being there for RD are Soarin' and TT, and we can do single rider for TT. The lines for Soarin' haven't been terrible lately and we'll both be fine if we don't ride.
-If you haven't heard already today, my beloved MSEP is leaving in Oct. and I'm very sad. We weren't planning on a night in MK this trip and I assumed I'd catch the parade in Nov. which now won't happen, so I HAVE to see it this month. I haven't completely figured it out, but unless we change our plans and go Sat night it'll be either Monday or Tuesday. But Tuesday was the only time we were going to HS and I can't leave without riding TOT. What to do, what to do..........

This isn't really a change as much as something I forgot to do! Last night I was on MDE and realized I hadn't made any room requests for our stay at WL. I've never been big on room requests and not getting a "good" location doesn't damper our trips at all. However after getting a couple "good" locations I've decided that, since you can make requests, I might as well. So I just made one which is "high floor" because I've read on the WL thread that with the contruction, some standard rooms now have a view of the MK if you're up high. I swear someplace over there it mentioned the 5th or 6th floor isn't good for some reason but the 4th and one of those 2 is. I'll leave it at that one request for high floor unless any of you have another suggestion

That's it for now! I've bought some travel stuff that we ran out of and will probably start packing a week ahead of time, so next weekend. And now it's time for the 2nd installment of

THINGS YOU NO LONGER SEE IN WALT DISNEY WORLD
EPCOT edition​

These pictures are from our Nov. 2012 trip, and we'll begin with some gone but not forgotten entertainment from the Italy pavilion. Back then, before the flag twirlers came, a group of women called "The Ziti Sisters" performed a few times a day and were totally hysterical. On this particular day Steve was lucky enough to get in on their act and they dressed him up as Caesar Augustus



Ooh wait, forgot the crown!


The finished product:


I swear by our next trip in May 2013 they were gone. The flag twirlers (I know there's a more Italian name) are OK but these ladies were always worth the stop!

Now also from Nov. 2012 I bring you to Chefs De France. It was our first time there and we were with friends on this trip. We timed our dinner to coincide with a visit from a French rodent who was making a few appearances each day during lunch and dinner



You can probably tell but they would bring Ratatouille around on a tray with fake cheeses and fruits. He didn't say anything, just swiveled around a bit but it was cute and the kids enjoyed seeing him. I don't believe he was there for too long but I do remember people were disappointed when he left. On an earlier trip, I think either 2010 or 2011, Ratatouille was meeting in the Animation building in HS and Ricky met him

My last no-longer-seen memory is from our 2007 trip and involves more characters that are NEVER seen anymore. I don't think their movie was too popular and I know Christopher has never known them, but Ricky had actually seen the movie before this trip. I wasn't aware they were meeting at the time so he and I were kind of excited when we saw them.

Do you have ANY idea who they are??



I knew one name but just had to look up the other - they're Koda and Kenai from the movie Brother Bear and we met them at the Canada pavilion. That's Ricky hugging......one of them lol. Apparently my guess above was correct and the movie didn't do well so they didn't meet for long. It was released at the same time as Finding Nemo which totally sunk it at the box office. I guess in addition to Canada they tried having the bears meet at AK for a time but they never went over well.

That's all I got for Epcot! Looks like MGM/HS has been getting the shaft on things leaving/closing down for quite the time now.

Haha! I guess I'd have to agree that it's not the cutest shirt. I don't think I'd call it the ugliest either, though, so we'll consider it a win ,

 

[ALEXandFAB]

I got an email from the Disney Store that they're VERY sorry but the MB I ordered is now OUT OF STOCK so they're unable to fulfill my order. They'll be crediting my account.......UGH!

NOOOOooooo!

The old, original Backlot Tour also was part of what made me fall in love with the park; back when there was a long walking part to the tour and you could see the Golden Girls house. On that note, I'll end this with a picture of Catastrophe Canyon. Not my favorite part of the tour by any means but one of the only pictures I can find

I remember really loving the backlot tour when we visited in 2004. I'm so bummed that it's been gone now for years and we won't be able to experience it again .

And by "they" I mean men.

Yes, on rare occasions, they can surprise us.

I know what you're thinking. That it's one of, if not the, ugliest Mickey shirt you've ever seen.

I must have questionable taste because I like the shirt

 

[ArielSRL]

Ugh, $80! No way, man. Unfortunately I didn't see any men's Disney polo's at JCP and even went back today and looked again. I know I've seen some before though, maybe occasionally at the Disney outlet I go to? And I've definitely seen them in the parks. Have you checked the Shop Parks App? Are they $80 there, too?
Also saw on FP someone suggested you check Etsy, hopefully they're cheaper there

I'll check the app but they are probably similar. I haven't checked etsy yet but I did order one of eBay. The good thing is I have lots of time to find them! Lol

 

[ariane37]

I've been terrible at keeping caught up lately, but I've just read the couple of pages that are new since I was last on.

That sucks about the Magicband you ordered being out of stock You would think Disney would know how to properly track inventory these days...

I actually love that Mickey shirt, but I'm known for falling in love with super ugly shirts haha. I hope you're able to get a picture of Steve, Ricky and Chris all wearing the shirts at the same time - that would be a great picture!

I said it before and I'll say it again, between IT and sales Disney needs to up their game! It's ok though, I've come to terms with not getting my band And since the boys want the character ones from the Disney Store, I'll probably either order myself one or just get some kind of band wrap.
I'm glad you're another vote for liking the shirt! And BTW I think your taste in Disney clothes is whimsical, what I've seen you wearing in your TR is NOT ugly! You look adorable in all your Disney outfits

 

[ariane37]

Haha! I guess I'd have to agree that it's not the cutest shirt. I don't think I'd call it the ugliest either, though, so we'll consider it a win ,

It's growing on me the more I'm looking at it

I remember really loving the backlot tour when we visited in 2004. I'm so bummed that it's been gone now for years and we won't be able to experience it again .

I must have questionable taste because I like the shirt

There are so many things that don't exist anymore that I miss However, I'm actually getting excited because I think there's enough "new" things for our trip in November. I know that sounds weird since they keep announcing closures, but off the top of my head I'm thinking new Soarin', FEA, Tree of Life Awakenings, EE at night, SW fireworks, Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire, the Muppets in MK and for us, Splitsville. Some we're more excited about than others lol. I hope you guys find lots of excitement on your trip!!

And you guys who like the shirt seem to be in the majority, so it must be me who has questionable taste! Even the cashier who checked us out when we bought it liked it. I thought she was kidding so I let her know it was ok if she wanted to laugh......but no, she apparently really liked it

I'll check the app but they are probably similar. I haven't checked etsy yet but I did order one of eBay. The good thing is I have lots of time to find them! Lol

Cool! I didn't even think about Ebay which is silly since I sell tons of stuff on there

 

[ariane37]

Shopping Is NOT An Addiction!
is it?​

Maybe it is, but no way I'm stopping! Well, maybe I'll stop buying shirts for our 2016 trips. Because seriously I have more than I need. I could change 3x a day on our Nov. trip and wear a different Disney shirt each time and never repeat any, and that's not including any sweatshirts! I was only planning on getting our matching Etsy shirts (going to work on that after this upcoming trip) until I went back to JCP Sunday night to do an exchange and walked by these



How cute are they?? BTW, in the left corner that orange fuzzy thing is a large marionette we bought Chris from the China pavilion in January. I tried one of the shirts on in the store and they're so comfortable. I also like them because they're not just plain t-shirts; they have the little rolled up sleeve and are tapered just a tiny bit. That's why I bought 2, even though I don't collect Tsum Tsums. Hopefully the weather is like last Nov., warm but not hot. I wore short sleeves every day with shorts and put leggings/jeans on a couple nights with a sweatshirt. I'd be ok with wearing tanks a couple times but really, to me t-shirt weather during the day is perfect.
They have a Marvel one but I'm not into that and they have this Lion King one



Love the print but it didn't sit right on me. Don't know why, but you now how sometimes certain prints just don't look right on your body type? I really wanted this one and the black Mickey one but I knew I wouldn't be comfortable in the LK one so, oh well. Now all I have to buy clothes-wise for Nov. is our Etsy shirts! And......maybe check out a couple other sites that @Raeven bought Disney clothes from She got some adorable stuff! Of course she's young and tiny so anything will look adorable on her lol!

While I was in JCP I went upstairs to pay because the line in ladies was way too long. The register at the top of the escalator happens to be in childrens, and the Disney dept. happens to be by childrens, and right by the register they happened to have a clearance rack of Disney plush. I stopped to take a quick look and found Jaq and Gus-Gus! On clearance for $3 and change each!! Cinderella isn't my favorite princess or movie, but I don't think I've ever seen her mice friends in plush form and they were begging to come home with me. So that's where they are now Sitting on my downstairs landing in the good company of another Mouse



I'm a sucker for Disney plush! I have a bunch of Disney Christmas plush and I try to buy a couple more every season. Wednesday I think I'm going to the outlet mall by me and there's a Disney outlet there, so hopefully I'll find some good stuff! No clothes for me though, right??

Nothing else going on for our trip in ELEVEN DAYS!!! For that one I'm only bringing tank tops, skorts and shorts and 2 skirts or dresses for going out to dinner at signature restaurants. We're still planning on Il Mulino arrival night even though nothing is written in stone, and we're completely open to another signature while there. I also plan to change outfits mid-day because I'll be grossly sweaty, which I know from our previous August trips.

Normally we do laundry once or twice and even did it once in January on our adults only trip, but I don't feel like doing it this time if we don't have to so that's my plan. And did I talk yet about packing? I may have, but remember I'm old and forget things. I am the WORST, most disorganized packer ever. When we did our 5 night trip in January we had 2 huge suitcases packed full plus a carryon each - I know, ridiculous for 2 people! I swear I'm going to pack better this time and on our Nov. trip. Last Nov. we had 3 huge suitcases plus a carryon each for FOUR of us. I packed them so horribly that I spent 30 minutes every night searching through each case for the next days' outfits for everyone, cursing as I was throwing clothes around because I would have everything but Steve's socks and Chris's underwear. I read a PTR a few months ago and the poster was using packing cubes, except they were called something else but similar. Apparently these are supposed to save room AND keep you more organized? Do any of you guys use them?

OK! Finally, what you've all been waiting for.......today's installment of (that's technically just supposed to be a drumroll)

THINGS NO LONGER SEEN AT DISNEYWORLD
AK oldies​

Our first visit to AK was in 2006, the boys' first trip to Disney. We had my mom along and she said she'd stay at our resort (Star Island, we stayed off-site with rented points through Steve's timeshare) for a day with Chris who was barely a year old so Ricky could have us to himself. We chose AK since none of us had been there yet.

Remember in the HS post I mentioned Stanley, whom you could kind of see sitting behind Bear in the Big Blue House in his parade car? Here he is meeting outside the AK gates:



His show was popular on Playhouse Disney back then and Ricky watched it often. We took the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch on that trip and I think we've ony been back once since; I'm putting it on the list for Nov. whether the boys like it or not! I have a very dark picture of Steve with Pocahontas, and I remember he asked her for a kiss Yup, I was embarrassed. I was also like, "sorry dude, you're old and your time has passed. You want a Disney princess to kiss you you're going to have to buy me a costume"

Besides being out for M&G's Pocahontas had a bit more of a presence in the park back then. She had her own show! It was called Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends and from what I remember was pretty cute





Fast forward now to 2010 and Christopher's first trip to AK! Stanley was gone but there were still a lot of M&G's going on around Discovery Island. Thumper and Ms. Bunny were regulars, as well as Meeko and Terk. We also got to meet all the Br'ers, although this is the only decent picture I have



I wish he, Br'er Fox and Br'er Rabbit would meet now on a regular basis. They were all in AK's old parade too, FYI. Speaking of the parade here, Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade, we saw that in 2010 also. It hasn't been gone that many years yet but it's still something we can't see anymore which is a shame. I know some of you guys aren't big on parades but I enjoy them. Anyone remember Tapestry of Nations in Epcot??




I love the costumes Minnie and Mickey wore in this parade





Now that we've done AK, I've decided to slip a non-AK picture in this post because, well, it's my PTR and I can do that. This is a picture from Chef Mickeys, the VERY first time my boys met the Big Cheese himself



I really envy parents who still have these "firsts" to look forward to at Disney. You forget about them until you're looking back on them......... And yes, I realize Chef Mickey's is still around. However we as a family will never ever ever be back there unless one of the boys begs us to take some Grandkid lol, so technically it's a "thing we no longer see at WDW". But you guys who like it, enjoy

 

[Raeven]

Well, maybe I'll stop buying shirts for our 2016 trips. Because seriously I have more than I need. I could change 3x a day on our Nov. trip and wear a different Disney shirt each time and never repeat any, and that's not including any sweatshirts!

Same here I just tell myself we have to keep going back so I can use all my outfits.

I went back to JCP Sunday night to do an exchange and walked by these

I like them!

And......maybe check out a couple other sites that @Raeven bought Disney clothes from She got some adorable stuff! Of course she's young and tiny so anything will look adorable on her lol!

Yes check the out! And some people who've started on Etsy and now have their own websites are amazing too. (I think I listed them in my PTR somewhere). And thank you haha, but it still takes me forever to pick out outfits for the trips. I think I tried on everything Disney I owned (so like half my closet)

stopped to take a quick look and found Jaq and Gus-Gus! On clearance for $3 and change each!! Cinderella isn't my favorite princess or movie, but I don't think I've ever seen her mice friends in plush form and they were begging to come home with me

Ooo I would've bought them too.

I read a PTR a few months ago and the poster was using packing cubes, except they were called something else but similar. Apparently these are supposed to save room AND keep you more organized? Do any of you guys use them?

I use them! We roll up the clothes in them too. I don't know how much space I save, but everything stays together and organized. I got 3 and put the shirts/dresses in one, mouse ears and stuff in another one, and mini supplies like sunscreen etc in another.

Remember in the HS post I mentioned Stanley, whom you could kind of see sitting behind Bear in the Big Blue House in his parade car? Here he is meeting outside the AK gates:

I think my brother used to watch that show, I vaguely remember that.

I wish he, Br'er Fox and Br'er Rabbit would meet now on a regular basis.

Me too! I'm obsessed with foxes and want to do a M&G with a fox character.

 

[fallonkendra]

could change 3x a day on our Nov. trip and wear a different Disney shirt each time and never repeat any, and that's not including any sweatshirts!

I felt that way on our last trip! I had so many Disney clothes, I didn't even bring them all with me. I haven't really bought anything new for our trip in January though, and I really don't want to wear all of the same things two years in a row...I guess I'll need to take a trip to our local Hot Topic one of these days...

I went back to JCP Sunday night to do an exchange and walked by these

I love both of these! So cute! I don't collect Tsum Tsums either, but I do think they are adorable!

they have this Lion King one

I also love this one! I wish I lived closer to a JC Penny Growing up in New Brunswick, we would do day-trips to Maine to go shopping (it was under 2 hours to Presque Isle, Maine), but now that I live in Edmonton, it's 5.5 hours just to get to the border of Montana and then you have to drive even more just to get to a city with decent shopping My plan is to place online orders at a few places (Kohl's, maybe JC Penny, etc) and have it shipped to our hotel before we go, just so I can get some Disney clothes that are different than the ones I can get in Canada.

I read a PTR a few months ago and the poster was using packing cubes, except they were called something else but similar. Apparently these are supposed to save room AND keep you more organized? Do any of you guys use them?

I swear by my packing cubes! We have this set in blue: https://www.theshoppingchannel.com/...ductdetails?nav=R:557534,N:2046266,E:11950950 and this set in pink (except ours is an 8-piece set, which I can't seem to find online): http://shop.heys.ca/products/ecotex-5-pc-packing-cube-set-new-with-front-zippered-pocket . We never use all 13 of them at once, but it's nice to have a variety of sizes. I don't think it actually saves room in our luggage but it helps out so much with organization! I'll use a small one for my socks/underwear, another small one for Luke's socks/underwear, my pants/jeans will usually go into one, all of my tops/shirts/sweaters into another. Luke's tshirts/sweaters into one, etc. It makes it so easy when we get to our destination - as soon as you pick up the cube you know exactly what is inside it, and it makes it super easy to find whatever you need in your suitcase. We will take our extra ones, and use them for dirty clothes - I'll actually fold our dirty clothes and place them into a large one - the clothes aren't organized but we know they are all dirty. I can't imagine travelling without these things now! You can buy cheaper ones that aren't Heys, but we have used our Heys ones on almost 10 different trips now - which is a lot of opening and closing them, and we have had zero issues with any of the zippers or the stitching. They still look brand new! One of our cats even peed on some of the empty cubes once, so we put them into the washer and ran them through a few cycles - and still in perfect shape! They are a little pricey, but we just watched and bought them from the Shopping Channel when they were the item of the day, and I really can't recommend them enough!

 

[fallonkendra]

We also got to meet all the Br'ers, although this is the only decent picture I have



I wish he, Br'er Fox and Br'er Rabbit would meet now on a regular basis.

This picture is so cute! I wish these characters still did meet and greets One of the downfalls of my first trip to WDW being in 2016 - I missed out on so many things!

 

[absolutmey]

ok, I wasn't going to say anything about HIS shirt choice, but since you did - I agree with you. That is pretty bad. I don't even think my DH (sayer of dumb things and wearer of items I tell him to) would wear that. YOUR shirts, on the other hand, are super cute. I love the tsum tsum mickey!

 

[ArielSRL]

Love the shirts! I have to really stay away because I bought all the new ones for the last trip and I'll just wear those again so I really don't need any more...but I'm sure you know how that goes...lol.

I remember the Jungle jammin parade...saw that one year when I went with my mom. I think 2007. I'm fairly certain I went with a previous boyfriend in 2005 and 2006 and then with my mom in 2007, I think. Wow, 3 years in a row. I think I forgot about that. I'm not usually one to go consecutive years or so I thought...lol.

I also remember Tapestry of Nations! Loving the photos of your boys! Makes me glad I am taking mine now and will continue to do so, and in a few years, we will look back on them together and share in those memories.

As far as packing, I think I do fairly well, except I always bring too much. I'm like a boy scout, so I am always prepared. It's why I can never carry a small purse because I have to have everything with me, just in case. I did the ziplock bag outfits for my boys and I planned out everyone's outfits for the week ahead of time. I used packing cubes. I had four different sizes but I'll be honest, I did not pay full price for them. I belong to a website called Elite Deals and I ended up paying maybe around $3 for each size and there were like 4 of that size in each package. I'm not sure if I would've had so many had I not gotten them for that price but we don't really travel very much. If you do, it would probably worth the investment at full price.

So excited for your very soon upcoming trip! Can't wait to read all about it!!

 

[amalone1013]

I've been lurking... Really enjoying your PTR! and your series of things no longer seen, though it also makes me a bit sad as I've never been to the World and now I'll never see them! I wish I could meet Pocahontas. We did a character breakfast last year on my first ever trip to Disneyland and Meeko came out at the end... I chased him down! That was a favorite movie growing up!

I use packing cubes and I love it. Our DL trip was the end for me, bc we had 2 suitcases and a duffel for two adults, and we changed hotels a few times. I knew I also had a 2 week London and Paris trip where I'd be on my own for luggage (no DF to carry it ) so I started researching packing cubes. I've got a set of 5, and then these giant ziploc type bags my friend got me... You just squish the air out yourself. I like those for big items like sweaters, jeans, sweatshirts, and my dirty clothes. Then I try to divide tops, dresses, sorts in the packing cubes based on when I think I'll wear them. The organization thing is huge though-you know exactly where it is! We had a 10 day to to DL/California last month and I got everything in my Vera duffel! I was very proud . I read about people getting different colored for each family member to tell things apart too. I just haven't convinced DF he needs a set!

 

[ariane37]

I use them! We roll up the clothes in them too. I don't know how much space I save, but everything stays together and organized. I got 3 and put the shirts/dresses in one, mouse ears and stuff in another one, and mini supplies like sunscreen etc in another.

You know saving space would just be a bonus, it's really the organization that I think is most important. I think between you and a couple other posters saying they love them, I have to get some and try it!

Me too! I'm obsessed with foxes and want to do a M&G with a fox character

Speaking of foxes I SO wish they'd do a M&G with Judy Hops and Nick Wylde! I know they're in the Move It, Shake It parade but it stinks that's it. I think I even heard they actually HAVE a M&G in DL which makes me more mad lol

I also love this one! I wish I lived closer to a JC Penny

Do you guys have dept. stores that we don't have in the U.S., or do you just not have many dept. stores, period? Just curious because I know you said there isn't a Kohl's close to you, either. Well, at least you have Hot Topic now!

I swear by my packing cubes! We have this set in blue: https://www.theshoppingchannel.com/...ductdetails?nav=R:557534,N:2046266,E:11950950 and this set in pink (except ours is an 8-piece set, which I can't seem to find online): http://shop.heys.ca/products/ecotex-5-pc-packing-cube-set-new-with-front-zippered-pocket . We never use all 13 of them at once, but it's nice to have a variety of sizes. I don't think it actually saves room in our luggage but it helps out so much with organization! I'll use a small one for my socks/underwear, another small one for Luke's socks/underwear, my pants/jeans will usually go into one, all of my tops/shirts/sweaters into another. Luke's tshirts/sweaters into one, etc. It makes it so easy when we get to our destination - as soon as you pick up the cube you know exactly what is inside it, and it makes it super easy to find whatever you need in your suitcase. We will take our extra ones, and use them for dirty clothes - I'll actually fold our dirty clothes and place them into a large one - the clothes aren't organized but we know they are all dirty. I can't imagine travelling without these things now! You can buy cheaper ones that aren't Heys, but we have used our Heys ones on almost 10 different trips now - which is a lot of opening and closing them, and we have had zero issues with any of the zippers or the stitching. They still look brand new! One of our cats even peed on some of the empty cubes once, so we put them into the washer and ran them through a few cycles - and still in perfect shape! They are a little pricey, but we just watched and bought them from the Shopping Channel when they were the item of the day, and I really can't recommend them enough

Thanks for the information! Going to look into the Heys ones. Good to know about the cat pee and washing them too, since I have cats running around! And I like the idea of putting the dirty laundry in one, also. I usually buy a collapsible mesh laundry hamper to bring but they're small and get full fast. If I'm bringing the packing cubes anyway it's one less thing to buy/bring

This picture is so cute! I wish these characters still did meet and greets One of the downfalls of my first trip to WDW being in 2016 - I missed out on so many things

Then people like me come along, post these old pictures, and make you feel bad about what you missed! Seriously though there are still so many great things about Disney that people who visit in 10 years will say, "oh man, this is my first visit and I wish I went way back when and could have seen THAT!". Even though I miss lots of things I know Disney has to change (I guess........) I just wish they'd add more things before taking things away!

 

[Raeven]

I wish they had the Zootopia meet and greet too! I love Nick and I do think they have it in Disneyland. Maybe I'll see them in the Move It and Shake It parade but I would love to meet them.

 

[ariane37]

ok, I wasn't going to say anything about HIS shirt choice, but since you did - I agree with you. That is pretty bad. I don't even think my DH (sayer of dumb things and wearer of items I tell him to) would wear that. YOUR shirts, on the other hand, are super cute. I love the tsum tsum mickey!

Thank you, I'm looking forward to wearing those shirts in Nov! Definitely going to be too hot for the this month You should have seen the boys' faces when I showed them that shirt.......and then when I pulled out 2 for them

Loving the photos of your boys! Makes me glad I am taking mine now and will continue to do so, and in a few years, we will look back on them together and share in those memories.

As long as you can and want to, keep up the trips! It's so fun/sometimes bittersweet to look back on the pictures of all the changes, both with the boys and the parks themselves

As far as packing, I think I do fairly well, except I always bring too much. I'm like a boy scout, so I am always prepared. It's why I can never carry a small purse because I have to have everything with me, just in case. I did the ziplock bag outfits for my boys and I planned out everyone's outfits for the week ahead of time. I used packing cubes. I had four different sizes but I'll be honest, I did not pay full price for them. I belong to a website called Elite Deals and I ended up paying maybe around $3 for each size and there were like 4 of that size in each package. I'm not sure if I would've had so many had I not gotten them for that price but we don't really travel very much. If you do, it would probably worth the investment at full price.

I always pack too much also; in fact we end up not wearing half the stuff I pack! And my purse is NEVER small........I bought a cross body on our first adults only trip last year. It's adorable and when we don't have the kids I can just fit everything I need in the parks in it. Problem is at that point it's packed to the top and so to find anything I have to pull every single item out, which is very frustrating! I decided to just stick with my full sizers lol
The website sounds cool! We travel a few times a year but some of those are by car so it's not as important piece-wise how I pack, but the organization they seem to provide is always welcome. I started looking online at some today; probably won't use them for our trip next week but most likely will get some for Nov.

So excited for your very soon upcoming trip! Can't wait to read all about it!!

I can't believe we're in single digits as of today!!! Man do I need to start getting with the program lol. Almost done with all the back to school shopping, almost done figuring out what outfits I'm bringing. Next week I need to food shop so we're stocked for my mom, finish buying toiletries we're out of and then finally PACK!

I've been lurking... Really enjoying your PTR!

I'm glad you're enjoying it and I'm also glad you've come out of the shadows lol!

and your series of things no longer seen, though it also makes me a bit sad as I've never been to the World and now I'll never see them!

Aw, as I said to fallonkendra above, if you go eventually you'll see awesome things that people going 10 years from now won't get to, because at least some of those things will have gone away. Everything has to change whether we like it or not (and I usually don't!) but you'll still make great memories and have a blast if and when you go!

I wish I could meet Pocahontas.

If you go to WDW you can! Even though her show isn't performed anymore she still meets out at Rafiki's Planet Watch. Hopefully she'll be there awhile

The organization thing is huge though-you know exactly where it is! We had a 10 day to to DL/California last month and I got everything in my Vera duffel! I was very proud . I read about people getting different colored for each family member to tell things apart too.

OMG I can only dream about fitting 10 days worth of stuff into a duffel lol!! Seriously though, between you and other posters I think I have to try these. I'll be a much happier camper-Dis'er?- come November when I'm pulling together everyone's clothes for the next day if I have these! And yes I've read about people using different colors for different family members. Not sure I'll get that far for my first time but I like that idea, too

 

[Jfsag123]

Love your shirts! Bummer about the LK one, but I completely know what you mean. Especially being 6 ft tall, MANY things do not hang right on me.

Your first trip is coming up so soon! Looking forward to the pics from that one. You could do a series called "things you can still see at WDW, but wont be able to soon" and snap Ellen and Stitch, and Great Movie Ride, and the MSEP.

Still very much enjoying your pics! And I know what you mean about the sadness of not getting the firsts back. My kiddos are still pretty young, but nothing will compare to the looks of wonder and amazement in their eyes as 2 and 5 year olds on our first trip when they were seeing it all for the first time.

 

[ariane37]

Your first trip is coming up so soon! Looking forward to the pics from that one. You could do a series called "things you can still see at WDW, but wont be able to soon" and snap Ellen and Stitch, and Great Movie Ride, and the MSEP.

Still very much enjoying your pics! And I know what you mean about the sadness of not getting the firsts back. My kiddos are still pretty young, but nothing will compare to the looks of wonder and amazement in their eyes as 2 and 5 year olds on our first trip when they were seeing it all for the first time.

LOL I love that idea! And since you mention it, we're making a point to do Ellen because believe it or not, neither of us has ever done it. Bummed the boys won't be able to experience it if it closes before Nov., but if it's still open we'll do it again with them. I'm also sad about GMR and MSEP, but I am in no way shape or form sad about Stitch That is just a head-scratcher. You're in the Disney mood, all happy in the park, and then you walk into that for the first time - and emerge like 20 minutes later not knowing what the hell just happened. Whatever they put there HAS to be better!! So when people look back on things no longer in MK and Stitch comes up, those who missed it will be able to rejoice in their good fortune

 

[Jfsag123]

LOL I love that idea! And since you mention it, we're making a point to do Ellen because believe it or not, neither of us has ever done it. Bummed the boys won't be able to experience it if it closes before Nov., but if it's still open we'll do it again with them. I'm also sad about GMR and MSEP, but I am in no way shape or form sad about Stitch That is just a head-scratcher. You're in the Disney mood, all happy in the park, and then you walk into that for the first time - and emerge like 20 minutes later not knowing what the hell just happened. Whatever they put there HAS to be better!! So when people look back on things no longer in MK and Stitch comes up, those who missed it will be able to rejoice in their good fortune

Agree 100% about Stitch! Ugh!

Can't believe you've never done Ellen! Figured you had done everything. We just saw Ellen for the first time in June. I had done the ride as a kid prior to Ellen being added, but had never seen it with Ellen. It's obviously dated, but we enjoyed it.

 

[amalone1013]

Aw, as I said to fallonkendra above, if you go eventually you'll see awesome things that people going 10 years from now won't get to, because at least some of those things will have gone away. Everything has to change whether we like it or not (and I usually don't!) but you'll still make great memories and have a blast if and when you go!


If you go to WDW you can! Even though her show isn't performed anymore she still meets out at Rafiki's Planet Watch. Hopefully she'll be there awhile

Yay! I'm excited to meet characters since I never went to Disney as a kid. And it's very true... I never want anything to change, but I know it must and a lot of times it brings good things too!



PS... Nick and Judy are meeting at Disneyland

 

[ariane37]

Agree 100% about Stitch! Ugh!

Can't believe you've never done Ellen! Figured you had done everything. We just saw Ellen for the first time in June. I had done the ride as a kid prior to Ellen being added, but had never seen it with Ellen. It's obviously dated, but we enjoyed it.

I'll trip you up again - I've never done Mission: Space or Star Tours, either I know!! I get motion sick pretty easily including on Soarin' so the idea of both of those rides make me nervous, on top of the no SW interest. Ellen we've actually considered before but it's always a time crunch thing Now I feel like a loser that there are 3 attractions I've never done lol. Maybe besides Ellen I'll try ST........

PS... Nick and Judy are meeting at Disneyland

I'm jealous and love that picture! Thank you for sharing