Surprising the Kids with a NYE Trip! Jan '16 PTR (Update 12/29 We're off! See ya in 10 days!)

[skier_pete]

Not 3 AM here, but why you leave us all in suspense???

 

[ronnie2hotty]

Oh awesome! Almost the same exact dates as us! For all the masses of people who go to WDW for NYE i'm having trouble finding any trip reports or anything like that. Have you seen anything?

Actually, no I have not seen much. I did some basic searches on here and on the easywdw forum, but didn't uncover much. I didn't dig too deeply into it, though. Like you, I was pretty surprised by how little initial information I was finding (or not-finding, as the case may be).

How did your ADR's go? I'm curious to know!!

 

[tarak]

Curious to know how it all worked out. I'm lucky that for our January trip, I only have to think about BOG for dinner. Hoping to get up, make that ADR, and go back to sleep.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Well, I gotta say: A LOT has been going on since mid-May and has been severely cutting into my Dis-time! I know you all want to know what ADRs I ended up with but first I'm going to make you suffer through a Real Life update. Its more of an excuse, really to show you that I honestly have not been ignoring you! We really have been quite go, go, go lately!

In order to tell the story (erhem.. make the excuses) properly, we'll need to travel back in time to a couple months ago...

May brings its own unique challenges to our family. First of all there are 5 family birthdays all within two weeks and four of those are within the same week. Evelyn & Eric actually SHARE a birthday, May 16. Then comes my MIL on the 19th, followed by my SIL on the 22nd then my nephew on the 27th. Throw in five concerts, a parade and graduation and there's not a lot of room for much else. However, we manage to squeeze more in!

My mom & stepdad came over from Seattle for Ev & Eric's birthday and we did a girl's day and went out to tea. The big Armed Forces Day parade was also this weekend.

20150517_152042 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150517_141524 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150517_133308 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Josh's soccer team was invited by our semi-pro team to walk out onto the field with them for "Kid's Day". The boys had a blast! It was a great ending to a not so great season. Even though they are U8s, their club recruited them for a U9 development team, then (because they were so good) bumped them up to the U10/U11s. They were pretty much killed in every game; they were awesome sports about it, though. They would see these kids who were all a head taller than our tallest player and know they were going to loose but they never dialed it in. They always made the other team work for their win. We were very proud of our boys! Josh decided at the end of the season that he was done with soccer and wants to try something new... hockey!


20150509_185632 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150509_185712 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Like I mentioned before, there were 4 end-of-the year concerts, one of which was a benefit concert for the Wounded Warrior Project. Because of that concert the band was invited to play at a dedication - our city has been setting up circuit equipment in the public parks and each one is dedicated to a Fallen Hero. This one just so happened to be dedicated to a former alum of the high school where Eric teaches so it was really special for these kids to play for the family. It was a very sobering experience. There were tons of people there, from the community and also men and women from all over the country, who served with him, flew in for the dedication.


20150525_154318 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Evelyn had her dance recital which was beyond adorable!! The theme of the show was Classic Disney so there were dances for Peter Pan, Cinderella, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Ev's class Beauty & The Beast. She danced to Something More and Be Our Guest. It was so cute and she was definitely in her element as my little Drama Queen!


20150529_191707-1 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150529_193452 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

After all that, I still needed to plan a birthday party!! She had wanted a My Little Pony party at our house but I was just too exhausted to clean, decorate, cook, then clean again so I booked a party at a local pottery paint place. It was PERFECT! The girls had a blast painting little figurines, I only had to make cupcakes and no one was subjected to my messy house! Win-win!


20150530_153818 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150530_161447 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

At the beginning of June, the Bear Family came to town for good! Minus Papa Bear who is still working on getting everything taken care of at their old place and will join them as soon as he can. Ev is LOVING having her BFCF here!


20150604_150449 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

We've had TONS of family time. We took the kids to see Marvel Universe Live which was a very fun show. Eric's aunt, uncle and cousin came from Arizona and we spent two weeks doing fun, outdoorsy stuff with them. One of the highlights was taking a zip lining tour through the woods! Josh started baseball and Evelyn graduated from preschool.


FB_IMG_1433597263898 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150605_192912 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150611_191449 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150610_113849 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Yes, I'm completely aware that a cap & gown graduation for Preschool is a little over the top. But it sure was cute, though! The Warm Up Princesses also made a return, this time at a park so it wasn't as bad as the last time.


20150614_123406 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150614_114039 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


20150614_113432 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

For the 4th we were gifted with this gorgeous condo overlooking the river & lake! It was such a great vacation. The first night, Eric & I got a date night which turned out to be perfect because it was our ADR night so we stayed up until 2:30 am watching the last season of The Newsroom (which I highly, highly recommend especially if you are a fan of The West Wing!) then I just played around on the computer until 3:00 am when our window opened up! I'm not usually a night owl so I was a bit loopy if you couldn't tell from my early morning postings! We had all the cousins over the next night for a sleepover then had the rest of Eric's family over for the 4th to watch the fireworks from the balcony.


CDA3 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


CDA 4 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


CDA 2 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr


CDA 1 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

We just go back on Monday only to find out that my brother's boat (he fishes in Alaska) came back THIS week instead of early August like we expected, so we're taking an impromptu trip to Seattle this weekend to see him and celebrate my other nephew's first birthday! Whew! Summer isn't showing any signs of slowing down either because in two weeks we have an exchange student arriving from Japan. Its been a lot of fun though! Lots and lots of memories made and lots more to be sure!

So.... Thank you all for being so patient. The next post will be all about DISNEY FOOOOODD!! Which ADRs did I get? Which one's didn't I get? Was I too tired to even know what the heck I was doing? Stay tuned!!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Soooooooooo?!?! How did your ADRs go?! We NEED to know!!!!!

Not 3 AM here, but why you leave us all in suspense???

How did your ADR's go? I'm curious to know!!

Curious to know how it all worked out. I'm lucky that for our January trip, I only have to think about BOG for dinner. Hoping to get up, make that ADR, and go back to sleep.

Sorry to leave you all on pins & needles!! We were gone for the 4th and I had limited time & resources and I wanted to make sure I have pictures to keep you all interested...

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Okay so on to the BIG NEWS!! What ADRs did I end up with??! Since my last post was so long... and I don't blame you one little bit if you just skipped over it... I'll make this one as to-the-point as possible.

Day 1: Arrival Day/ Magic Kingdom

NO ADRs!! When I asked Eric about it, he said he'd rather not be tied down to anything on this day. Fine by me!

Day 2: New Year's Eve/ Hollywood Studios


sci-fi-dine-in-theater-gallery07 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Sci Fi Dine In Theater @ 8:10 pm! When I asked Eric, he said hands down Sci Fi. He can't pass up a good burger! I wanted a late ADR in the hopes it would help the kiddos make it to midnight.

Day 3: New Year's Day/ Epcot


ohana-gallery03 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

'Ohana Best Friends Breakfast @ 9:45 am! This one is a little earlier than I'd hoped to get. I wanted a 10:30 am so we could sleep in a bit but oh well. 9:45 isnt TOO bad. I still have 5 months to keep checking availability so here's hoping I can push that time back!

Day 4: Jan 2/ Animal Kingdom


tusker-house-restaurant-gallery15 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Tusker House dinner @ 6:45 pm! I think I did pretty good on this one. I'm pretty happy with the time and I think it will be pretty neat to see an empty Animal Kingdom after closing especially if we're able to see the huge Christmas tree lit.

Day 5: Jan 3/ Magic Kingdom


IMG_2962 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

The Crystal Palace breakfast @ 8:15 am! I was pretty happy to get this pre-opening ADR! We loved Crystal Palace breakfast on our last trip and Eric specifically requested that we repeat this one. My original plan was to keep this day "open" and do a resort ADR but we decided that 3 Magic Kingdom days was definitely NOT too much.

Also...


IMG_2770 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

The Pirates League @ 11:00 am! I just went for it! My thinking goes something like this: He's not going to be a "little boy" for very much longer and why not enjoy it while it lasts? The next time we go back, he'll likely be a teenager (or close to it) so let him experience the magic!

Also...


IMG_2689 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Whispering Canyon Cafe @ 6:55 pm! This one is another favorite from our last trip. Josh is going to be stoked to get to eat here again!

Day 6: Jan 4/ Hollywood Studios


50s-prime-time-cafe-gallery17 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

50's Prime Time Cafe at 5:00 pm! Well... I wasn't able to get the Fantasmic! Dining Package. It showed no availability for any of the three restaurants for the entire length on our stay! In fact, there was no availability at Mama Melrose AT ALL for the entire length of our stay OR the week prior! Curious. I wasn't aware that Mama Melrose was one of those difficult to come by ADRs? Could it be that it will be closing to make way for whatever is coming to DHS in the future? Maybe its down for refurbishment? I dunno!! I did ask the CM who I made the Pirate's League and BBB reservations about the Fantasmic! Dinner Package and he said that it looked like it wasn't available for booking. He said "Try back later today... or next week.... or next month..." It was kind of funny!

Day 7: Jan 5/ Epcot


teppan-edo-gallery03 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Teppan Edo @ 7:00 pm! I'm actually really looking forward to this and the kids are going to love it! We went to a Japanese steakhouse for Josh's birthday last year and he & Evelyn still talk about it. I know they'll enjoy the food and its something a little different and special than what we can get at home. I'm TOTALLY going to order the filet!! Yum!

Day 8: Jan 6/ Magic Kingdom


Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique by Lauren Parker, on Flickr
(Photo credit, disunplugged)

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique @ 8:30 am in Cinderella's Castle! No, this isn't a breakfast ADR but its just as important and how cool is it that its another park pre-opening?! We've got a lot of early mornings but I'm all for napping mid-day. Plus I'm sure Ev will want to be in her Princess getup for the entire day.

Also...


be-our-guest-restaurant-00 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Be Our Guest lunch @ 12:30 pm! So glad I got this one!

Also...


cinderella-royal-table-gallery20 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Cinderella's Royal Table @ 6:40 pm! I say, if we're going to go Princess... we've got to go ALL OUT! This day is going to be all about Disney Royalty and I'm hoping to get that coveted Anna & Elsa M&G Fastpass+ for this day as well. I'm hoping Josh will be a good sport about it. He's a pretty easy going guy and I know he'll enjoy eating in the castle. This is also our last full day at Disney

Day 9: Jan 7/ Departure Day


boma-flavors-of-africa-gallery00 by Lauren Parker, on Flickr

Boma breakfast @ 9:00 am! I'm guessing that our ME bus will be departing around 11:00 am and I thought it would be nice to have a relaxing breakfast at our resort. It looks like we won't be able to fit in Sanaa this time around, unfortunately, but I'm glad we'll be able to at least experience one of the three restaurants at AKL! I keep hearing raving reviews of Boma's breakfast offerings so I'm really looking forward to this. After breakfast, maybe we'll have time to walk the grounds or hit up the pool one last time!

So, there it is! I'm going to keep checking back for the Fantasmic! Dinner Package and if any of you who are down with the Disney rumors know anything about Mama Melrose... Of course we'll be perfectly happy with 50's PTC (I'm certainly happy!) but I know the rest of my family would enjoy Mama's better. I guess we'll see!​

 

[ronnie2hotty]

I can't help with the MM or 50's Fantasmic! Dining Package, but we didn't have any trouble getting it for H&V on New Year's Eve.

 

[tarak]

Your plans look great! I had a 9:40 ADR for 'Ohana and was just able to switch it for 10.they had a 10:45 available, but that seemed almost too late. Especially if they're running behind. But definitely try in a few months - you might get something that works better for you.

Good luck with your FP+ reservations! I was able to get Anna and Elsa our first night with no trouble. Hopefully, you won't have any issues.

I love Tusker House. It's one of my absolute favorite places to eat.

 

[skier_pete]

So, if you follow on the rumor board - Mama Melrose has no ADRs after a certain point in time. There is much discussion that it is another of the many things that will be closing in DHS for the giant makeover/expansion. However, no-one knows for sure if this is truly the reason that there are no ADRs, so you might just want to keep your eye on the dining website. It really is NOT a difficult ADR to get. (We almost went there 2 days in advance last October - but chose 50s PT instead.)

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

I can't help with the MM or 50's Fantasmic! Dining Package, but we didn't have any trouble getting it for H&V on New Year's Eve.

That's great you got it!! Yay!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Your plans look great! I had a 9:40 ADR for 'Ohana and was just able to switch it for 10.they had a 10:45 available, but that seemed almost too late. Especially if they're running behind. But definitely try in a few months - you might get something that works better for you.

Good luck with your FP+ reservations! I was able to get Anna and Elsa our first night with no trouble. Hopefully, you won't have any issues.

I love Tusker House. It's one of my absolute favorite places to eat.

Thanks! I wonder if some of the Frozen hysteria has died down a bit? That's great you had no trouble getting the Anna & Elsa FP!

I never thought about if they were running late... even if I pushed it to 10:00 am, that 15 minutes seems sooo much better!

Yes, i'm excited about Tusker House & even better now that it's a character meal!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

So, if you follow on the rumor board - Mama Melrose has no ADRs after a certain point in time. There is much discussion that it is another of the many things that will be closing in DHS for the giant makeover/expansion. However, no-one knows for sure if this is truly the reason that there are no ADRs, so you might just want to keep your eye on the dining website. It really is NOT a difficult ADR to get. (We almost went there 2 days in advance last October - but chose 50s PT instead.)

Hmmmm... very interesting. I wonder what's going on? I guess we'll find out soon enough!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Welp... I just don't know what's going on. The Bear Family decided not to move after all... at least for the time being... maybe. Ev is devastated, she wanted her cousin here so badly! BUT it looks like them joining us is back on! So far. I don't know if it will be the entire Bear Family, or just Mamma Bear & Goldielocks, or Mamma Bear, Goldielocks and Baby Bear?? Anyhow, I still need to talk to MB and see which reservations they want and do our best to add them.

..this is doing nothing for my nerves...

I'm still trying every day for a Fantasmic! reservation at Mamma Melrose. As of yesterday Mamma's IS taking reservations for January 4 but there's no Fantasmic! times. I thought about just booking Mamma's anyway, and I might still do that but I'm having a hard time giving up 50's PTC. I'll talk to Eric about it and see what he thinks... eventually. I am also checking ALL.THE.TIME to see if a Minnie's Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine ressie comes up for 12/31 or 1/3. Right now its totally greyed out so I'm not sure if that means that its already booked up (very likely for 12/31) or if they haven't released those days for booking yet. It looks really fun and I'd even be willing to switch our DHS and MK days around to get this one so I guess we'll see.

Other than that I'm just trying to do a little Christmas shopping! Yes, I know its August but I want to have it all done before October. I'm hoping to find some good sales on Disney swimsuits and sunglasses. I've also been looking into a non-traditional autograph collection device (aka: not a book). I wanted to do a pillow case... I know this is popular on the cruises... have any of you seen it done in the parks? If I hand the characters a fabric sharpie to sign with will they refuse?

What have you all done besides books? Any ideas?

 

[NJlauren]

Not sure I ever replied to your ADRs they look great! I would be stressing about the adding of people to ADRs, ugh talking about fun! Hopefully they won't want to come to every meal and you can add them to the ones you need to!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Not sure I ever replied to your ADRs they look great! I would be stressing about the adding of people to ADRs, ugh talking about fun! Hopefully they won't want to come to every meal and you can add them to the ones you need to!

So far it looks like it would just be 1/3-6 at best so not every meal. Phew! They won't be able to book for a while and i'm afraid of reservations booking up... I wonder if I can add them to my reservations even though they don't have a booking? The only problem reservation, I think, is going to be CRT. I don't really want to add them to my ADR on that one because they charge your card the full amount! But how far in advance can you make ADRS if you don't have a booking?? I think a call into Disney Dining is in order...

 

[NJlauren]

So far it looks like it would just be 1/3-6 at best so not every meal. Phew! They won't be able to book for a while and i'm afraid of reservations booking up... I wonder if I can add them to my reservations even though they don't have a booking? The only problem reservation, I think, is going to be CRT. I don't really want to add them to my ADR on that one because they charge your card the full amount! But how far in advance can you make ADRS if you don't have a booking?? I think a call into Disney Dining is in order...

Anyone can have a reservation 180 days out even with out a hotel reservation. I would add them to all meals they might come too. As long as one person shows up you dont get changed the $10/pp fee. (I don't think this supplies to CRT)

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Joining in! Now to get caught up! Umm our husbands may be soulmates. Lol=) I actually took hubby to Seattle a few years ago on our honeymoon and surprised him with tickets to a Seahawks game. Can you see who we met at PF Changs having dinner with his family? I seriously think DH was more excited about this meeting than anything else!

 

[skier_pete]

We did a T-shirt once. The problem with a T-shirt or pillowcase is that you have to bring something that you can stretch the fabric across for them to sign. (You can't do it while wearing the shirt.) It was sort of a pain to have them sign it. She still wears the shirt though, even though we did it when she was about 6. (We went with a large shirt for that reason.) A lot of the signatures have faded away with repeated washing.

We had a package of 12 individual princess books that we got all the princesses to sign another time. I thought that came out extremely cool the year we did it. Some princesses just signed, but other wrote little notes. One of the books was a "Jessie the cowgirl" book, and Jessie was so thrilled that we were asking her to autograph "HER" book, it was one of the best non-face character interactions ever. There's Disney/Pixar storybooks out there that I've always thought would be neat to try and get signed by as many characters as possible, but we haven't done that.

My MIL had a canvas bag that she had all the characters sign the year we did the shirt. This was pretty good too, though I don't know if she uses it. A picture frame could work pretty well too!

 

[NJlauren]

Also we did a picture frame. See result attached! I should probably put a picture in it and frame it.... One day! I will say it was a pain to lug around so we only took it to character meals.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Joining in! Now to get caught up! Umm our husbands may be soulmates. Lol=) I actually took hubby to Seattle a few years ago on our honeymoon and surprised him with tickets to a Seahawks game. Can you see who we met at PF Changs having dinner with his family? I seriously think DH was more excited about this meeting than anything else! View attachment 114462

Whaaaat?!! You met Richard Sherman?! So cool!! And thanks for joining in! Continue at your own risk... I fear the remainder of this PTR will be filled with family drama. Consider yourself warned!