Zombie Apocalypse and Pixie Dust - A 2 week Disneymoon (PTR link 11/14)

[ronnmel]

your last day was so fun, and really gave me a lot to think about! and did I ever mention how much i LOVE shadow boxes? they are my disney jam! make one after every trip!

I'm SO excited that you get to go back again! Will you go the following august? 2014?

We could not have asked for a better last day. Not only did we redo our favorites over and over (and over) again, but then we ended on a relaxing and romantic note watching Wishes from the Poly. Eating Dole Whip. On the beach. Yep, pretty perfect. I really hope your kids free day is just as great for you guys. I look forward to finding out what you will do!

Shadow boxes are pretty cool! I'm not really talented at making them though, photobooks are more my thing.

I'm SOOOOOOO excited to be going back too! You can't even imagine how excited I am!!!! (ok, you ARE a Diser, you probably CAN imagine ) We can't really afford to go every year. We are thinking of going every 3 years, 2 if we are lucky. To be going back only 15 months after our last trip is really awesome, but not something we can count on to happen often again. The plan after this trip will be to try to get pregnant again. Going with one baby is one thing, but going with two kids under two would probably be a lot more difficult. Plus having two kids will be more expensive. I'm thinking we'll wait until baby #2 is at least 2 years old before going back, so probably not before 2015-2016. Of course, that is if we can wait that long and not cave in before.

 

[ronnmel]

Souvenirs

I'm getting anxious to start my new PTR so let's try to finish this Disneymoon trip report soon.


Angel plush toy, to accompany the Stitch plush I already had. It's too bad they only had one size. I wish they had the bigger size so she would be the same as my Stitch.

Christmas ornament

Mr Potato Head accessories. Yes, my baby was not even conceived yet and I had bought her a toy that she would not be able to use until she's three.

Trinkets from the arcade for my students. They LOVED them.

Onesie for our nephew (we found a pink one at Walmart which we totally bought for Peanut).

Kitchen things. I like getting things that I can use everyday versus only getting stuff to put on a shelf. I don't have enough space for that.

Magic Kingdom 40th Anniversary puzzle. I love love love doing puzzle. In fact, I refer to myself as the puzzle master. And I wanted something to commemorate the fact that we were there the year of MK's 40th anniversary.

Here is the puzzle completed

And a close-up on Walt himself

Ron got himself a Run Disney shirt. Now if only he would actually JOG once in a while...

Charm bracelet for DD13

I only have one more update left. Then it'll be time to start talking about January!!!

Up Next, Our Thoughts on POP Century
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[PhoenixStrength]

I always forget to take pictures of the things I buy, I need to remember to do that this time!

I am definitely planning on buying home stuff for myself this trip, since I hope to buy a house in the first half of next year

 

[ronnmel]

I always forget to take pictures of the things I buy, I need to remember to do that this time!

I am definitely planning on buying home stuff for myself this trip, since I hope to buy a house in the first half of next year

And what better way to fill a home than with Disney stuff?

 

[PhoenixStrength]

And what better way to fill a home than with Disney stuff?

Exactly! I just need to not spend too much of what I have saved toward the down payment at WDW

 

[ronnmel]

Exactly! I just need to not spend too much of what I have saved toward the down payment at WDW

Yeah, you do need the HOUSE to put the house STUFF in.

 

[inkedupmomma]

Love all te souvenirs and I'm with you, I buy functional souvenirs.. although, pins and vinylmation count as functional to me, as I use them for the Disney Shadow box frames I buy! Which you could TOTALLY do! Just save stuff from along your trip! Fast passes, bracelets to enter things, table numbers you may have been given.. anything! They are fun!

and wow, I am really glad you're going now then! Although me suspects you aint waiting no 2 years.. 2nd baby or not lol!

We are Disers.. we find ways to afford it! and you know with us, we'll help you figure out that way

 

[ronnmel]

Love all te souvenirs and I'm with you, I buy functional souvenirs.. although, pins and vinylmation count as functional to me, as I use them for the Disney Shadow box frames I buy! Which you could TOTALLY do! Just save stuff from along your trip! Fast passes, bracelets to enter things, table numbers you may have been given.. anything! They are fun!

and wow, I am really glad you're going now then! Although me suspects you aint waiting no 2 years.. 2nd baby or not lol!

We are Disers.. we find ways to afford it! and you know with us, we'll help you figure out that way

Ok, call me stupid, but what do I do with the stuff I collect to turn them into a shadowbox? How do they work? I want to get into pin trading this time and I have no clue how to display them, so the shadowbox could be a good idea.

Well, if I'm really lucky and get pregnant right away after the trip, than means at least 9 months pregnant + 6 months with baby, so 15 months at the earliest. I think we'll see how easy (or hard) it is to travel with Claudia before deciding when we'll be going back. If we have another girl that means we have to buy almost nothing new, so more money for Disney.

 

[inkedupmomma]

Ok, call me stupid, but what do I do with the stuff I collect to turn them into a shadowbox? How do they work? I want to get into pin trading this time and I have no clue how to display them, so the shadowbox could be a good idea.

Well, if I'm really lucky and get pregnant right away after the trip, than means at least 9 months pregnant + 6 months with baby, so 15 months at the earliest. I think we'll see how easy (or hard) it is to travel with Claudia before deciding when we'll be going back. If we have another girl that means we have to buy almost nothing new, so more money for Disney.

YES! They are great to display pins!and pin trading is so fun! My kids really love it! I'm going to bring our vinylmations for trading as well this trip! We had a few duplicates !

here is a picture of the shadow box I have in my living room... not a great shot, but you get the point! and i bought the frame in Disney.. rather pricey though! $35! YOu can get them at Michaels for like $10 with coupons.. so I do both!

and 15 months sounds WAY better! I'll keep girly fingers crossed for ya

 

[Starscream275]

It's been a fun trip, Mel! You've had your ups and downs throughout the trip but it's been fun! I'd think I want to call your ending trip a bittersweet moment to be honest but whatever. Surprisngly I didn't buy that much when I was in Disney World but I did get quite a bit of stuff which oddly enough came from Animal Kingdom. But hey I'm not complaining....yet. Note to self, stop thinking about yourself in the third person!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Oh my gosh, we bought that puzzle too and I think I did it all in one day. I'm crazy with stuff like that! It was on our coffee table for over a year and finally I bought puzzle glue to try to preserve it a little and of course, right after I puzzle glued it, I spilled FULL glasses of soda/water and other various liquids on it like 3 times in one week so I had to just throw it out.

 

[AvasMommy526]

Awwww it's almost over I loved this report and all the pics of Claudia and all our toy talk
I loved your final day, especially dole whips, Poly beach and Wishes, so romantic
I'm so happy you all get to take your family vacation, the baby is gonna do great, she's still small enough to go with the flow, it's going to be magical Cant wait to hear all about it

 

[ronnmel]

YES! They are great to display pins!and pin trading is so fun! My kids really love it! I'm going to bring our vinylmations for trading as well this trip! We had a few duplicates !

here is a picture of the shadow box I have in my living room... not a great shot, but you get the point! and i bought the frame in Disney.. rather pricey though! $35! YOu can get them at Michaels for like $10 with coupons.. so I do both!

and 15 months sounds WAY better! I'll keep girly fingers crossed for ya

Thanks for the picture! I'm still confused though. Do you buy a picture frame then turn it into your own shadowbox, or do you buy a shadowbox? How do you put the stuff in? I'm serious, you really have to spell it out for me. While I was planning my wedding I kept hearing people talk about buying stuff at Michaels for DIY projects and I was upset that we didn't have one here. But they just opened a few stores this September! And one is 10 minutes away from my house! Yay!

When I was young I wanted to have only girls. Now that I have Claudia, I think I would be fine either way. Some days I would prefer having a boy, some days I would prefer having a girl, and other days I don't care.

It's been a fun trip, Mel! You've had your ups and downs throughout the trip but it's been fun! I'd think I want to call your ending trip a bittersweet moment to be honest but whatever. Surprisngly I didn't buy that much when I was in Disney World but I did get quite a bit of stuff which oddly enough came from Animal Kingdom. But hey I'm not complaining....yet. Note to self, stop thinking about yourself in the third person!

Thanks! Our last night/full day was awesome and the perfect ending to our trip. Our travel day... not so much. Meh, it's over and done with.

I think Animal Kingdom has lots of cool stuff. I need to do more shopping there next time.

Oh my gosh, we bought that puzzle too and I think I did it all in one day. I'm crazy with stuff like that! It was on our coffee table for over a year and finally I bought puzzle glue to try to preserve it a little and of course, right after I puzzle glued it, I spilled FULL glasses of soda/water and other various liquids on it like 3 times in one week so I had to just throw it out.

Ah man! That sucks! I have never glued any of my puzzles because I like doing them over and over again. What's your favorite kind of images for puzzles? I like the ones with bright colors!

Awwww it's almost over I loved this report and all the pics of Claudia and all our toy talk
I loved your final day, especially dole whips, Poly beach and Wishes, so romantic
I'm so happy you all get to take your family vacation, the baby is gonna do great, she's still small enough to go with the flow, it's going to be magical Cant wait to hear all about it

Awwww, thanks! I loved our talks too! You'll just have to follow me over to my PTR, then my TR. There you'll see plenty pictures of Claudia.

I keep going from being sure everything's gonna be fine during the trip and Claudia will be easy, to stressing that she'll be super fussy due to us not following her regular schedule.

 

[inkedupmomma]

"Thanks for the picture! I'm still confused though. Do you buy a picture frame then turn it into your own shadowbox, or do you buy a shadowbox? How do you put the stuff in? I'm serious, you really have to spell it out for me. While I was planning my wedding I kept hearing people talk about buying stuff at Michaels for DIY projects and I was upset that we didn't have one here. But they just opened a few stores this September! And one is 10 minutes away from my house! Yay!

When I was young I wanted to have only girls. Now that I have Claudia, I think I would be fine either way. Some days I would prefer having a boy, some days I would prefer having a girl, and other days I don't care. "

The one I sent is a shadow box already, I'm not craft enough to make my own..yet So yes they are sold as boxes. Usually you use pins to hold the stuff in place, and they are often provided..being the clever Diser I am, i use my trading pins to secure most stuff. You Could also use double sided tape though! and SO glad you have a michaels now! LOVE that place, but it can be dangerous! I like shadow boxes because it allows you to be creative! You can use pins, key to the world, any mouse mail or documents, resort maps, pictures you took, charms you bought.. endless possibilities!

I only ever wanted girls, then I got jack, and he is my loviest love bug!

 

[ronnmel]

The one I sent is a shadow box already, I'm not craft enough to make my own..yet So yes they are sold as boxes. Usually you use pins to hold the stuff in place, and they are often provided..being the clever Diser I am, i use my trading pins to secure most stuff. You Could also use double sided tape though! and SO glad you have a michaels now! LOVE that place, but it can be dangerous! I like shadow boxes because it allows you to be creative! You can use pins, key to the world, any mouse mail or documents, resort maps, pictures you took, charms you bought.. endless possibilities!

I only ever wanted girls, then I got jack, and he is my loviest love bug!

Oh, good! Glad you can buy a shadowbox and not have to make one yourself. That's why I was so confused. I'll have to look into it. Ron likes collecting that kind of stuff anyway, but right now it's in a folder. It's better to display it!

Jack is so cute!

 

[ronnmel]

Our Thoughts on POP Century

I said my next update would be the POP Quiz answers & Final Thoughts, but I forgot I had written a post about what we thought of our resort, POP Century. I'll post this one now, post my real final updates in a few days, then start my pre-trip-report.

I dont remember if I wrote these when I did the POP updates, but in case I didnt Ill write it again. And I know you have already seen the photos, but I'll add some that fit what I wrote so that it's not just words on a page.

Here are in a nutshells our thought on the resort:

-Our room location was AWESOME! Just a few steps away from the food court and buses, and facing towards the lake so very quiet. We were on the 2nd floor, which meant less foot traffic, but only one flight of stairs to climb. We were in the 50s, building 3 (Tramp)

- There was a weird smell around our stairs the first few days (a wet/humid smell)

-Mousekeeping was just okay. It was clean, but nothing special. She placed our buttons and my new Angel plush toy in the window, but thats about it.

-Good bus system. There are organized lines at POP so you go wait for the specific park you want to go to. Unfortunately those lines are uncovered so you are at the mercy of the sun and rain, but it didnt really bother us. At the parks the bus stop was usually one of the farthest away, but again it did not bother us at all to have to walk a few extra minutes. We rarely waited more than 15 minutes for a bus, except at closing times which was to be expected anyway.

-The pools were nice. We liked hanging out in the bowling pin pool the most. It was the closest to our room, and also pretty quiet. I liked the look of the Hippy Dippy pool more, but Ron didnt like the noise of the music and pool games going on in the afternoon.

Bowling Pin pool

Hippi Dippy Pool

Kiddie pool

-The food at the food court was good and varied. Lots to choose from, even for someone picky like me. We never had a problem finding somewhere to sit.

-We didnt like that the AC was so quiet, as we wanted to use it as white noise. We never found a way to keep at least the fan on all night.

-We didnt hear what was going on in the other rooms, except the toilet flushing which was LOUD. We just kept the bathroom door closed to help with this. On the other hand, we could hear everything that was going on outside. Thankfully our room was in a quiet location facing a courtyard and not too many people walked in front of our door.

-I know some people think the value rooms are small, but for us it was perfect. We were just two, did not spend a lot of time in the room, and like to live out of our suitcases. Plus we had a king size bed, so that was a huge plus.

-The grounds are really pretty. Lots of props to look at, and reminisce about the good old days. I find the resort is a good size, not too big so almost all rooms are fairly close to the main area, but big enough to enjoy walking around.

All in all, we loved our stay at POP Century and would definitely stay there again. Id like to try different resorts, but Ron would be content just staying there. We are more park people, so really the room is mostly just a place to stay. We prefer to keep our money by staying value, and spending it elsewhere in the parks or on better airfare (like a direct flight vs one with stops).




Up Next, POP Quiz Answers & Final Thoughts
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[PhoenixStrength]

I love POP too, and agree with your analysis of it. I'm the same in that I use the room to sleep and shower mostly, so I don't need a ton of extras or space. And the grounds are really nice. Can't wait to hear if you are staying here again next trip, or trying somewhere new!

 

[ronnmel]

I love POP too, and agree with your analysis of it. I'm the same in that I use the room to sleep and shower mostly, so I don't need a ton of extras or space. And the grounds are really nice. Can't wait to hear if you are staying here again next trip, or trying somewhere new!

We are trying somewhere new for sure, but I'm not saying where yet.

 

[ronnmel]

POP Quiz Answers​

1. Was a two weeks trip too long, too short, or just perfect?
Too short! Rons friend picked us up at the airport and on the way to his place (where our car was parked) he was saying you must be glad to be home, 2 weeks is a long time to spend in Disney and we were like No way!!! It was way too short. Rons friend could not believe it. Its clear that he doesnt get Disney. Ron keeps saying that if we win the lottery jackpot, we will take a one month vacation in Orlando.

2. Which restaurant did we try to walk up to and did we get in?
Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios, and not only did we get in, we got seated in less than 5 minutes. We had a magical time there!


3. Did we get rained on and did it affect our plans?
Yes we got rained on, and yes it affected our plans, but not too much. The two main cases where it really affected our plans were at Blizzard Beach when they closed the park for a long while, and in Epcot when we ended up missing Illuminations.

4. Speaking of plans, how much did we stick to them?
We stuck to the general plans most of the time, though we did switch park and rest days a few times.


5. What kind of Pixie Dust did we receive?
Our room at POP Century was really close to Classic Hall, we got free champagne and dessert at Brown Derby, we received the Just Married buttons from Todd the character handler at Character Spot in Epcot. We also got several congratulations and small things such as front row in a ride, but the three major ones were what I just mentioned above.


6. How many characters did we meet and which ones? Which one was the best interaction?
We met 37 different characters, 43 if we count the repeats and 44 if we count Timon interacting with us during the parade. As for which one was the best interaction, that was a trick question because I really cant pin point one specific character. They were all awesome! The ones that come to mind now as being particularly outstanding were : Rafiki, Mexican Donald, Mike & Sully, and the two fairies Tinkerbell and Vidia.


7. How many times did we ride Toy Story Mania?
8 times, including 4 times in one day!!! Thank you fastpasses, and thank you special queue on the right for people who are only two.


8. Did I ever beat Ron's score?
Yes! I beat him once, on our third day in DHS! It felt awesome to beat him.


9. What ride did we go on the most?
Toy Story Mania, of course. Other rides we went on the most were Tower of Terror (7 or 8 times, I dont feel like checking through my notes now), and Rock N Roller Coaster ( 8+ for Ron, 4 for me). All those three attractions are in Hollywood Studios, its no wonder we decided to add a third day there! Honorable mentions (3 times or more) to Soarin, Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Expedition Everest (for Ron), Kilimanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapid (for myself), Star Tours (for Ron), Drawing Class (for myself, 6 times!), Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and probably several others I cant remember now.


10. What's our record number of fastpasses held at one time?
7 sets of fastpasses. I dont think we will ever be able to break that record since now you have to use your fastpass within the return-time window.

Up Next, Final Thoughts​

 

[ronnmel]

Final Thoughts​

I already wrote a lot of my final thoughts within the POP Quiz answers. I guess this is more of a “random thoughts” post then, things that didn’t fit anywhere else.

My Minnie Bridal Ears made for lots of great one-liners:
-Are my ears on straight?
-I need to take my ears off.
-I forgot my ears.
-Where are my ears?
And my favorite:
-I’m afraid my ears are gonna fly off!

Weather & Crowds : Yes it was crowded, yes it was hot, but we didn’t mind too much. We got around the heat and crowd by going to rope drop almost every day, doing the headliners in the morning, doing attractions and shows that have AC and shorter lines in the afternoon, by following Touring Plan’s best parks recommendations and by avoiding any park that had EMH that day.

Dining Plan : We had the free Quick-Service Dining Plan and we really enjoyed it. We LOVED not being tied down to a schedule in terms of meal time and being able to switch our days if we wanted to. It was a good amount of food for us, since we rarely ate three meals a day (way too hot for that!) and had a few OOP table-service meals.

Transportation : I already mentioned a bit how the buses were when I talked about POP. We rarely ever waited long, except a few times at park closing, but that is to be expected. Besides the bus we took the ferry, the monorail, and a cab once. I seriously think we waited longer for the cab than we did for most buses. The monorail was awesome, as always.

Favorites : Well first of all, Hollywood Studios went from my least favorite park to tied for first with MK and Epcot. In fact, I think it might #1. We had never tried Tower of Terror, but it quickly became our top attraction. Besides rides, other things we really liked were : hanging out in The Seas pavilion, the look of Hollywood Studios at night, the train ride to the conservation station in Animal Kingdom, the movie in the France pavilion. Two things in Magic Kingdom I absolutely fell in love with are the opening show and Magic Memories and You. Speaking of, I can’t wait to see what they replace it with. We were pleasantly surprised by the parade at AK. A great snack we discovered were the donuts from the water parks. Red Velvet cupcake is my ultimate yummy snack though. Dole Whip takes that spot for Ron.

I think that covers it all. Only one thing left to say, and it’s the most important thing of all. THANK YOU to all of you the readers and the lurkers. As much as I like to write about my trip and relive it, it would not be fun to do if I couldn’t share it with you guys. I loved reading all your responses as well as chatting with you about other stuff. Also the fact that I have almost 80,000 views completely blows my mind. You are all incredible and I can’t say thank you enough. I hope you will follow me over to my PTR, to which I will post the link as soon as I start it.

Up Next, Pre-Trip Report Link​