It's My Birthday & I'll Disney if I Wanna! ~ A Dec 2015 PTR - COMPLETE!

[hokieinpa]

So I did not get a FP for 7DMT.

Booooo! Are you going to keep trying or just go with the plan as is?

I'll take my chance on Stand-By late at night. Otherwise, it just won't get ridden this trip.

I think right before park closing or during the first parade at MVMCP will be your best bet. I think there will be one at 8:35 and 11:15 is the party follows the changes to MNSSHP.

So then I happily proceeded with my FP+ scheduling, and I did all 5 days of selections in about 20 minutes.

While I'm always happy that it turns out to be a quick process, isn't it a little antclimactic? Months of planning and spreadsheets and it's taken care of in 20 minutes? But yay for a quick process and great FP+ selections!

Love the band! It looks like it will fit in nicely during your Ohana dinner! If you're having one and I remember your ADRs correctly!

 

[wellesleyprincess]

Around 11pm, I looked on the Dibb, and saw that FP+ availability for 7DMT on Dec. 4th was already completely gone. Booooo! It was still available on December 9th, so I spent the next hour running through different scenarios and trying to figure out a way to make it all work, but doing so would have meant either completely rearranging both days, or dragging my poor aunt & uncle back and forth across the park. In the end, I decided neither of those options were acceptable. So I did not get a FP for 7DMT. I'll take my chance on Stand-By late at night. Otherwise, it just won't get ridden this trip.

By the time Midnight rolled around, I'd already accepted this fact, and made my peace with it. So then I happily proceeded with my FP+ scheduling, and I did all 5 days of selections in about 20 minutes.

Keep checking! I missed out on 7DMT (booked FP+ at about 45 days rather than exactly 60), but managed to snag it for my preferred time. I also managed to snag a BoG breakfast the same way. But I know you know the drill!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Did i mention how much i love your MB?

 

[SarahDisney]

Okay, since you were all waiting soooooo patiently, I suppose I'll do an update about how my FP+ scheduling went last night!

Hey! I waited patiently! (Maybe ... it's possible that I wasn't on the computer for about 50 hours from Sunday night thru Tuesday night, but we'll just pretend I was patient)

So I did not get a FP for 7DMT. I'll take my chance on Stand-By late at night. Otherwise, it just won't get ridden this trip.

We once waited about 45 minutes standby (when it said 60) at around 7ish (when the park closed at midnight). I think you should be able to get a decent wait late in the day.
And if not, there's always next trip.

So then I happily proceeded with my FP+ scheduling, and I did all 5 days of selections in about 20 minutes.

I love how there's so much planning and worrying and craziness with FP+ scheduling ... and then it's all done so quickly. It entertains me.

Oh? You want to know what I got? Silly me. Here you go!

Yay! Minus 7DMT, it looks like you got everything you wanted within about 15 minutes of when you wanted it - not bad, not bad at all!
(And yes, I did go back a few pages to check on the times you wanted. I can't remember that kinda stuff)

Also, in my last update, I mentioned ordering one more MagicBand skin for my yellow band. I applied it to the band last night, and I think it's super cute!!!

I love it! You have to wear that MB to Ohana, it'll be perfect!

 

[Groverg3]

It looks like some sort of availability might have opened for 7 Dwarfs on the 4th (according to the Dibb)- might want to check in case!

 

[kastoney]

Congrats on getting most of your fast passes. I know that must be a relief. And love your magic band.

Any word on the candlelight celeb yet?

 

[Elevationist]

Definitely keep looking for Mine Train as people jiggle their FP's all the time

I'll probably check back occasionally, but I'm not gonna let myself stress out about it!

I've only gone back about 5 pages or so, but ... Love your decals, plans, clothes, lists, etc. You're a pro at WDW planning!!

Aww, thank you so much! I'm glad you're here!

I can't remember your first day plans and since I'm on my phone and it takes forever I'm not going back to look for them. However--last time we went, we did 7D first thing and the stand by wait was not horrible. One of us waited in line and 2 of us rode the tea cups twice. When we got back to the line, our line holder was already way up under the covered part and we had to guiltily squeeze through the line to catch up. Then we moved along pretty quick! (This was just a few months ago, end of May) If you can go there first, the wait should be pretty easy.

Yeah, I'll just keep checking the wait periodically throughout the day. I really do think we'll be fine. And we're all late-night people, and we'll be there for MVMCP on the 4th and for late EMH on the 9th. And I know the line dies down drastically during those last few minutes before the park closes, so we'll do it then if need-be. I'm not fussed about it!

Oh--and I love the magic band!

Thank you!!!

Booooo! Are you going to keep trying or just go with the plan as is?

I'll probably check back occasionally, but I'm not going to stress myself out about it. If we ride it, we ride it. If not, it's fine. I'm honestly okay either way.

I think right before park closing or during the first parade at MVMCP will be your best bet. I think there will be one at 8:35 and 11:15 is the party follows the changes to MNSSHP.

Yep, that's actually my plans for when to try and catch it on Stand-by!

While I'm always happy that it turns out to be a quick process, isn't it a little antclimactic? Months of planning and spreadsheets and it's taken care of in 20 minutes? But yay for a quick process and great FP+ selections!

Hahaha, it really was. It's such a build up to it, and then it's over so quickly. (Just like my love life... )

Love the band! It looks like it will fit in nicely during your Ohana dinner! If you're having one and I remember your ADRs correctly!

Yes, I am! And that's the plan! I'll also wear it on my AK days.

Keep checking! I missed out on 7DMT (booked FP+ at about 45 days rather than exactly 60), but managed to snag it for my preferred time. I also managed to snag a BoG breakfast the same way. But I know you know the drill!

I do know the drill, yes ma'am! I'll check back once in a while, but I'm not going to obsess over it or anything. I'm feeling pretty okay about the whole situation.

Did i mention how much i love your MB?

You did not! But now you have! Thank you!

Hey! I waited patiently! (Maybe ... it's possible that I wasn't on the computer for about 50 hours from Sunday night thru Tuesday night, but we'll just pretend I was patient)

An entire 50 hours off the grid?!?! I totally would have died.

We once waited about 45 minutes standby (when it said 60) at around 7ish (when the park closed at midnight). I think you should be able to get a decent wait late in the day.
And if not, there's always next trip.

Yeah! I'm not terrible fussed about it. But we've got a few good windows available to us for trying to do it on stand-by in a reason amount of time. I think we'll be okay!

I love how there's so much planning and worrying and craziness with FP+ scheduling ... and then it's all done so quickly. It entertains me.

It really is over way too fast. (But then again, I always feel the same way about the trip itself, too!)

Yay! Minus 7DMT, it looks like you got everything you wanted within about 15 minutes of when you wanted it - not bad, not bad at all!
(And yes, I did go back a few pages to check on the times you wanted. I can't remember that kinda stuff)

...Stalker.

I love it! You have to wear that MB to Ohana, it'll be perfect!

Yes! It's getting worn to Ohana (with a pink Harry Potter shirt, strangely) and also to Animal Kingdom.

It looks like some sort of availability might have opened for 7 Dwarfs on the 4th (according to the Dibb)- might want to check in case!

Shoot! By the time I saw this, the availability was gone. Oh well. Thank you for the heads-up!

Congrats on getting most of your fast passes. I know that must be a relief. And love your magic band.

Yes, glad FP is done! And thanks, I dig the MB too! I'll have a nice variety of them to choose from during the trip.

Any word on the candlelight celeb yet?

NO! NOTHING! ZIP, ZILCH, NADA! Soooooo frustrating!!!

 

[Elevationist]

57 days until WDW!
************************************

Hey, ya'll!

As promised, I am going to start doing run-throughs of our daily plans! Writing these up will hopefully be fun for me, as I enjoyed doing them on my April PTR. And it should help pass the time, since I have 8 days to write about! (Planning on doing a post every Monday and Thursday.) So here we gooooooooo!

DAY 1 - Friday, December 4 - Travel to WDW, and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

Aunt Debby and Uncle Mark will be arriving into to town the day before, and staying the night at my grandmother's house (who lives in the same town as me). Nana is going to dog-sit for them for the week, and on the morning of December 4th, they will leave her house by 6:30am (or so help me, I will kill them if they run late) in order to be at my apartment to grab me and my things, and get us on the road by 7:00am. Oh, and as previously mentioned, they'll be borrowing my Nana's swanky brand new Dodge Journey for the trip...

I'm not a terribly long drive from Disney, only 5-6 hours, depending on traffic. (I've made it in 4.5 hours before when I was being super speedy and didn't run into any traffic jams.) It's a pretty easy drive, just straight down I-95, then catch I-4 in Daytona.

We'll probably swing into Hardee's or something to grab breakfast before we leave town, and then we'll be on our way! After about 2 hours of driving, we'll hit St. Mary's, GA. It's the last Georgia stop on I-95 before crossing into Florida, and they're known for having low gas prices. It's also a good halfway point for us to stretch our legs, not to mention that they have a big truck-stop style Petro station there that I'm very familiar and comfortable with, so I always stop here to top off the gas tank, pee, and grab a drink if needed.

Then back on the road for another 3 hours or so, continuing on I-95 to Daytona, then catching I-4 down right into the Disney property. Between 12-1pm, we should be passing through this glorious sight...

From there, within just a few more minutes, we should be approaching...

And then proceeding down the driveway to...

I'M SO FREAKIN' EXCITED, OMG OMG OMG.

We'll park and head into the lobby. Crossing my fingers and praying for a quick and easy check-in, as we'll be kinda pressed for time at this point! Even if our room is ready, I think we'll skip checking out until later. We still need to grab some lunch here...

Then after a (hopefully) quick lunch, meet up with the rep from Walker Mobility who will be bringing me my chariot for the week...

At that point, we should be headed for the bus stop to catch our ride to the Magic Kingdom! I want to be at that bus stop no later than 3:15pm. Preferably earlier. (See? VERY pressed for time!) We need to be rolin' though the turnstiles at 4:00pm on the dot so that we can kick off Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and see this magical sight...

From there, we'll scurry over to our very first FP+ selection of the trip, the window of which closes at 4:30pm (see the hurry now?). I wanted to start our trip off with the one ride that Aunt Debby is looking forward to the most...

This is one that normally I would skip (I can't handle THAT SONG), but Aunt Debby has made it VERY clear she wants me to ride it with her. *sigh* There better be a special place in heaven for good nieces like me...

From there, we'll head across the way to our next FP+, with a 4:30-5:30 window...

Then we'll likely have a little time to kill before the next one, so I'm thinking Carrousel (the only other ride my aunt asked for) and Mickey's Philharmagic. Then we'll scoot down the path a little bit into Liberty Square, and hit up our 5:30-6:30 FP+ for...

After this, it'll be time to grab some dinner, I think. I've not chosen exactly where... Probably either Columbia Harbor House (since it's right there in Liberty Square), or trekking the short distance back into Fantasyland to hit up Friar's Nook (I've been daydreaming about that Pot Roast Mac 'n' Cheese for the last two trips, and never got my hands on it), or just heading back towards main street and maybe hitting up Casey's Corner. Regardless of what we do, I'm going to basically inhale my food, then let Debby and Mark sit a few and rest their feets while I hop on my chariot and haul off over to Tomorrowland by myself for a bit. No reason to drag them along, for I will be on a singular mission before the party really gets going...

Ya'll know I GOTS to go get my Christmas facepaint on!!!! (For anybody who cares, should these still be the same options when I get there, I'm leaning towards the top row, 3rd column, "Candy Cane Cutie.")

Then I'll meet back up with Debby and Mark, and we'll make our way down Main Street a bit, see the snow, and get our free cookies! I'm not too terribly worried about character greets. We'll likely just check out the shops and such until people really start lining up for the 1st parade. Then I'll start checking MDE, and hoping to see the wait time for 7DMT dropping. Either way, we'll head that direction. If the wait is still just too much, I'll look into alternatives like Enchanted Tales with Belle or Dumbo.

Then back out to the hub and main street to scout a good place for Holiday Wishes!

Then I'll be off to find the nearest wheelchair & scooter viewing area for...

Then we'll wander, and see how waits are looking, versus what we were able to do before Wishes. Will check 7DMT and Tales with Belle and Dumbo again, if they didn't get done previously. Also on the agenda will be Journey of the Little Mermaid, and a meet with Ariel in her grotto.

After all that fun, we'll make our way out to the bus stop and back to AoA, where we'll get our first glimpse of our rooms here...

Unload the car quickly, get settled in, and get to sleep ASAP. It's another early morning tomorrow!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I love my new title, "Ms. MagicBand Fashionista." FWIW, you do a better job of applying the vinyl cover. I keep getting wrinkles.

I'm not a terribly long drive from Disney, only 5-6 hours, depending on traffic. (I've made it in 4.5 hours before when I was being super speedy and didn't run into any traffic jams.) It's a pretty easy drive, just straight down I-95, then catch I-4 in Daytona.

All I could think of after seeing your map is that it is a good thing that hurricane season is over by December.

I'M SO FREAKIN' EXCITED, OMG OMG OMG.

We toured AoA last April and it is just adorable. I would be excited to stay here, too.

From there, we'll scurry over to our first FP+, the window of which closes at 4:30pm (see the hurry now?). I wanted to start our trip off with the one ride that Aunt Debby is looking forward to the most...

You are the best niece. They don't really know how hard you worked to plan this trip, but we know.

Then I'll be off to find the nearest wheelchair & scooter viewing area for...

Do they set aside a viewing area or wheelchair/scooter only?

After all that fun, we'll make our way out to the bus stop and back to AoA, where we'll get our first glimpse of our rooms here...

There is no way that I could wait until after the party to see my room. I have a fear that something will be wrong with the room or my MagicBands won't work and I'll be stranded outside the door, etc, etc. I have the same fear about all my trips, not just Disney ones.

 

[Chicago Mo]

I am SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! I adore AoA! Besides Poly it's right there!!!!

The Christmas party! YAY!!!!!!!!!!! cannot wait!!!

the face painting! No santa hat?!?! HA HA HA really cute.

 

[cajunfan]

Awesome schedule!

Funny, before I even read your note about what you were leaning toward in face painting, the Candy Cane Cutie screamed you...although I thought the Christmas Unicorns would be so "YOU"...they just need more color.

 

[deedee2177]

Love the plans and LOVE AoA!! We stayed in the LM rooms back in November 2012. I adore their food court...super yummy and lots of choices!!

I agree with the Candy Cane Cutie...very Billie!!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm not a terribly long drive from Disney, only 5-6 hours, depending on traffic. (I've made it in 4.5 hours before when I was being super speedy and didn't run into any traffic jams.) It's a pretty easy drive, just straight down I-95, then catch I-4 in Daytona.

See, that's really exciting and should always be emphasized. I'm like 5-6 hours from ... Portland, Maine. Just as exciting as Disney World, right?
(Then again, I'm about a 45 minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan and technically live within the borders of NYC, so I can't really complain too much)

Crossing my fingers and praying for a quick and easy check-in, as we'll be kinda pressed for time at this point!

I think AoA may to the direct-to-room thing where they text you your room number if you check in online. Which means that you don't have to do check in at all. Which should save some time.

Then after a (hopefully) quick lunch, meet up with the rep from Walker Mobility who will be bringing me my chariot for the week...

Yay! Pink Princess Chariot!

This one that normally I would skip (I can't handle THAT SONG), but Aunt Debby has made it VERY clear she wants me to ride it with her. *sigh* There better be a special place in heaven for good nieces like me...

I think the options are a special place in heaven ... or a place in hell where you have to listen to the song endlessly. It's one of the two, depending on what other niece things you do.

Ya'll know I GOTS to go get my Christmas facepaint on!!!! (For anybody who cares, should these still be the same options when I get there, I'm leaning towards the top row, 3rd column, "Candy Cane Cutie.")

Yes. The Candy Cane Cutie absolutely screams Princess Billie!

Also on the agenda will be Journey of the Little Mermaid, and a meet with Ariel in her grotto.

You have to tell her you're staying in her hotel - she'll be very excited. (I think. Of all the (2) times I've stayed at Art of Animation, I've never done that. I'm usually too busy being freaked out to think about what to say to characters).

Day 1 sounds like a lot of fun! I'm excited to find out (on Monday) what Day 2 holds!

 

[Elevationist]

I love my new title, "Ms. MagicBand Fashionista." FWIW, you do a better job of applying the vinyl cover. I keep getting wrinkles.

Mine look good now, but I'm worried about them getting wrinkles once we're there and using them! I hope not, though.

All I could think of after seeing your map is that it is a good thing that hurricane season is over by December.

When I travel down in the fall, it's not over yet. No fear!

We toured AoA last April and it is just adorable. I would be excited to stay here, too.

Yes! I toured in last September, and fell in love! It's so cute!!!

You are the best niece. They don't really know how hard you worked to plan this trip, but we know.

I appreciate that ya'll appreciate me.

Do they set aside a viewing area or wheelchair/scooter only?

For parades at MK? Yes. Unless you want to camp out 2 hours early, sometimes it's the only way to be able to actually SEE the parade, and not have a view of somebody's butt in your face. Now if they'll do it for the second showing of the parade during MVMCP, I'm not sure, since those aren't usually very crowded. But I'll ask the nearest CM, and go from there.

There is no way that I could wait until after the party to see my room. I have a fear that something will be wrong with the room or my MagicBands won't work and I'll be stranded outside the door, etc, etc. I have the same fear about all my trips, not just Disney ones.

You're tapping into my biggest fears too, Sue. I'm the same way. Waiting to see the room until after we get back for the night goes against all my instincts. But it's the only way I can think to make it work time-wise. I'm praying that maybe I'll luck out and get the Direct-to-Room text this time for both rooms, so we can skip the initial check-in all together, and go straight to out rooms to check them out and throw our things in them. Then head up to the lobby for lunch, scooter pick-up, and to catch our bus. Fingers crossed!

I am SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! I adore AoA! Besides Poly it's right there!!!!

I'm super stoked! I know I went back and forth on switching to POR for a while there, but I'm really happy that in the end I decided to stick with AoA.

The Christmas party! YAY!!!!!!!!!!! cannot wait!!!

ME EITHER, OMG OMG OMG!

the face painting! No santa hat?!?! HA HA HA really cute.

Yeah, no. Not a santa hat kinda girl.

Awesome schedule!

THANKS!!!

Funny, before I even read your note about what you were leaning toward in face painting, the Candy Cane Cutie screamed you...although I thought the Christmas Unicorns would be so "YOU"...they just need more color.

Yay! My back-up choice is actually the one directly to the left of Candy Cane Cutie, the one called Holly Magic. We'll see what's offered this year, and what I'll be in the mood for!

Love the plans and LOVE AoA!! We stayed in the LM rooms back in November 2012. I adore their food court...super yummy and lots of choices!!

Oh, man. When I toured the resort in Sept 2014, I opped into the food court and had some gelato. I could have eaten a bucket of it easily. Soooo goooood.

I agree with the Candy Cane Cutie...very Billie!!

YAY! I think it'll be adorable with my red shirt, too!

Sounds so fun! Is there anywhere you can check restaurant availability during the party? At the MVMCP that I was at in 2014 I had "saved" my last Disney meal for CHH only to find out that they were closed for the party and turned into a hot chocolate and cookie station. We ended up heading over to Cosmic Ray's, which also would work with your Tomorrowland plans.

Yeah, that's part of why I'm not getting my heart set on any particular CS for dinner that night, and will just kinda play it by ear. And yes, on MDE you can look up CS restaurants, and it will show you their hours for that day.

Candy Cane Cutie is excellent. I also like the snowflake, but I'd need one on the other side too!

I love the Snowflake one, too! But I agree, I would need symmetry. But for the Christmas party, and wanting something red & green, especially since I'll be wearing my red Christmas shirt.

See, that's really exciting and should always be emphasized. I'm like 5-6 hours from ... Portland, Maine. Just as exciting as Disney World, right?
(Then again, I'm about a 45 minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan and technically live within the borders of NYC, so I can't really complain too much)

I was gonna say... As I was reading you mentioning Portland, I was thinking "BUT YOU LIVE IN FREAKING NYC, SARAH." Hahaha. Seriously, I've never even visited. It's been on my bucket list for so long, but that's one trip that I'm NOT comfortable making solo! But someday I'll get there!!!

I think AoA may to the direct-to-room thing where they text you your room number if you check in online. Which means that you don't have to do check in at all. Which should save some time.

I sure do hope so, and that they text me for both rooms. (I've read reports where some people have said that one of their rooms was selected for the Direct-to-Room text, but they still had to go do the regular check-in for the other one, thus defeating the purpose of being texted for the first one!)

Yay! Pink Princess Chariot!

Yaaaaaas! I love it!

I think the options are a special place in heaven ... or a place in hell where you have to listen to the song endlessly. It's one of the two, depending on what other niece things you do.

I'm doing lots of nice niece things for them during this trip, so hopefully I'm headed for the former!!!

Yes. The Candy Cane Cutie absolutely screams Princess Billie!

Doesn't it, though?! I think it's super cute!!!

You have to tell her you're staying in her hotel - she'll be very excited. (I think. Of all the (2) times I've stayed at Art of Animation, I've never done that. I'm usually too busy being freaked out to think about what to say to characters).

I choke when trying to talk to face characters, too! Maybe I'll just let my aunt do the talking this time, she's never met a stranger and is much more chatty than me.

Day 1 sounds like a lot of fun! I'm excited to find out (on Monday) what Day 2 holds!

Here's a preview: Wizards and Polynesian food!

 

[tabrizia]

Your day 1 looks great! I need to start figuring out our days, of course we aren't up to FP+ yet, and my husband would call me insane for figuring it out, so maybe I'll figure it out and just not tell him!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Oooo---AoA! I promised my BFF that wouldn't stay there until we go together. I'll be SO excited to see all your pictures while I bide my time until I can see it for real!

Yes! Candy cane cutie is perfect! Love it! I love that you love getting your face painted. I can't handle stuff on my face, but you'd fit right in with our face paint loving girls!

 

[Tracy161]

Billie!!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously cannot believe how close this trip is! Your FP selections are awesome! And your magic band skins I'm super jelly of! Day 1 plans sound amazing!!! I wandered over to AoA back in May from Pop - I only wished I had actually eaten there That resort is just so impressive - I can't wait to read about your experience there. Less than 60 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[deedee2177]

I love how close your trip is getting because that just means mine is that much closer...LOL! I can't believe I'm 37 days away at this point because Keith and I started talking about doing this trip back in April of last year! I think I might be approaching the officially freak out time before the trip. I looked at the calendar and between the kids' schedule and everything we are crazy busy...guess it's good it just gets the trip here sooner.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Ok I never thought I would be asking this question, but do they offer non-holiday themed facepainting too? Not seeing many options for boys but if I could find DS something he'll like well then I might as well get a crystal snowflake too...