1 crazy family+2 resorts+5 parks+1 snake+1 surprise=A Mickeystoontown report 4/3x2

[mickeystoontown]

Since Kathy asked and you mentioned it- and it shows just how useful your backsacks truly are- I am going to post the ways we use your string bags to make life and bag check simpler when we tour the parks. I added this info to the FAQ section of the Beach & Yacht Club thread after our trip in July.



Can you explain "String-Bag Theory" to me?

Well, I am no physicist, but yes I can!

Some of you know that I have an unhealthy obsession with string bags and Ziplocs.

1) On days when we don't need ponchos, we try to only bring what we can carry through in our hands or pockets. Folded backsack(s) in back pocket. Cell Phones and small point & shoot cameras in shorts pockets or larger camera hanging around neck (no camera bag)- extra memory cards/batteries in pockets. Carry bottles of water.

Once you are through bag check, you can take the folded backsack out of your back pocket and empty the things in your pockets, plus the drinks, into the sack to make it easier to carry.


2) This is how we packed our ponchos for the Disney parks last week.

We rolled our ponchos into a large (2 or 2 1/2 gallon bag). Any other stuff we brought into the parks, like moleskin, extra memory cards, camera batteries and journals for notes, went into another, smaller plastic bag. We also carried another empty large ziploc to keep everything dry if it rained. We would wear the ponchos and then the string bag and contents would fit into the bag. When it stopped raining, we tried to wring out the ponchos, roll them up and place them back in their bag so they didn't get everything else wet.

It was great going through bag check. We had two clear see-through bags that the checkers didn't even have to open- just look and give a quick squeeze. Someone else carried the deflated string bag in their pocket. Once past that point, the two bags went back into the string bag.






PS- my bag was custom made by DISer Mickeystoontown. She often adds a Mickey Head outline decoration to the bag but I preferred to have mine without one.

PPS- the observant reader may notice that some of these bags are Hefty, not Ziploc. A rose by any other name...

Dee, thank you sooooo much for posting this! I'm putting the link in my initial post with credit to you, of course.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hi Lisa! I'm still here and all caught up again. I won't comment on everything because I was so behind but I've really enjoyed reading all of your adventures. It's helped cheer me up since I've had the Disney blues the last few months. (we decided to postpone our trip until next year)

Hey Angie! Good to see you! So, next trip to Disney will be 2015?

Anyway, let's see if I can remember at least a few things I wanted to comment on.....

I loved all your pictures on Mission Space. We still haven't braved that yet! So, it gave me an idea what to expect! Great job for doing the orange side!

If you want to get initiated into Mission Space, go for the tamer side and, if you're fine with that, work your way up to the full blown experience.

Okay, I have to admit I skimmed through the snake story. We've only saw one at Disney on our last trip walking around Pop Century at night along the water. Ugh...just thinking of it still gives me chills. But, I did enjoy reading about Boma! We've only had breakfast there and loved it. Hoping to try dinner on our next trip!

I have no idea why strange occurrences are drawn to us. I really enjoyed Boma. So breakfast was good? I have us booked at Boma for dinner again and a breakfast at Trail's End. May change it up though.

Yay for the surprise to see Cirque!! And so glad to hear Lacey and Jesse are joining you on your upcoming trip!!

They are so glad that they've decided to come along (well, we are too) and hope that their budget won't see any mishaps that will keep them from coming.

I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle.

Thank you!

Also, the frozen pipes and Mama's cruise tickets. How stressful for you.

That was one doozy of a week!

On a brighter note though.....that's so cool that you saw one of your backsacks!!

I thought that it was pretty neat too!

This is all out of order, but it's what I remember, so…

She HAD your bag! lol! That's so fun that you saw your creation being used by someone IN the parks!

She had my bag! It was so neat to see!

Boo to the bathroom issues at work! We've had several friends around us with busted pipes. This cold has been a boon for the plumbers in the area!

I was more than ready for those darn pipes to thaw out!


Love all the pictures of CBR. Cortlyn especially liked the pirate ship in the pool area. She said "I wanna stay there!" Kid… momma wants to stay at POR. Maybe next trip!

Aww, Mama, you aren't going to let a small child make a $$$ decision for you.

And about EPCOT. It's so funny, because we LOVE EPCOT with the kids. I was really concerned Cortlyn wouldn't enjoy it- but honestly, I think it's a MUCH better park than HS for her! Of course, HS has the Disney Junior stuff, but other than that, she LOVES to go to the Kidcot areas and we spend no less than an hour in the Seas (not just the Nemo ride- I mean, back there in the Aquarium part!). And it looks like Catie might be able to ride Soaring, so that could be even BETTER! WOoohoo!

I wish that the Kidcot stops had been around when the kids were younger. It's a great way to get the kids involved.

Ooooh, I so hope that Catie makes the needed height!

Well first of all, glad to hear your workplace facilities are working again! My DH is a plumber, so I hear every day about the cold workers he works hard to help when pipes bust!

I do NOT envy your husband! The two things that John hates working on the most are electrical and plumbing. He's rather pay every dime he has than working on them.

Holy busy Epcot, Batman! Whoa!

I know!

I always go green team on MS. But mostly just because I'm a bit of a wimp.

Ain't nothin' wrong with being a wimp!


Too funny that John didn't realize how the FPs worked! Glad you were able to make the system work for you though

You'd think that after all these years, he'd know everything about Disney.

Must be such a cool feeling to see one of your bags in the park!

It was a pretty cool feeling!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hey Lady! I have been so far behind that I sat down and went back and read the entire report this morning! (thank you for links!) Enjoyed every crazy moment of it although now (as if I weren't already) am craving a warm weather trip that has break days at a beautiful resort for more than 4-5 days! Ugh...thanks a lot for making me plot a possible return trip!

I've found myself wishing for warm weather too! As I was posting the pictures of the resort, I, literally, said outloud "I wish I were there right now." Yeah, I was talking to myself.

I have another question. How long did it take for you to eat at T-REX ? Including wait times. I'm trying to make reservations for T-REX and the Cirque du Soleil for the same night and dont know how much time to allow between. Thanks for your help

Hum, I am not sure, I tell you what, let me go look at my 2013 itinerary and I can give you an approximately time. I booked a 8:00 p.m. or so reservation at T-Rex and we had time to get there after the Cirque show. Again, let me go see and I'll be back.

That's pretty darn cool that you found a duplicate of your backpack. Must make you feel great when you see that. I have a bag with that same print. Your's is adorable.

It felt so neat to see one of my bags in Epcot.

So John really didn't know how FP's worked? That's too funny! What would he do without you?

Sounds like he'd be waiting in some very long lines.

That bag check. O.M.G. That is insane!!!!!!!

That was the worst bag check of the whole trip.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Why on earth wasn't she given a confirmation number the day she booked? She needs that to go online and take care of anything pre cruise and to book any excursions? What line is she goin on? Did she get her stuff yet?????


ok back to catching up, but this was driving me nuts when I saw it. There are TA's that take advantage of people and take their money sadly.

The whole thing was screwed up to me. The entire RESA (Louisiana Retirees something or other) was invited to go and 69 signed up. They were given a form to fill out and mail with a check. Mama did that back in September. Right now, I can't remember if she mailed it to a go-between or directly to the travel agent. I think it was to the travel agent. She got a letter saying that they received the check and that she was confirmed to go. That was it!

I'll go ahead and post it here and ask that nobody mention the company's name anywhere but here until Mama and the others are back on dry land. The company is Cruise One. They are a national company with umbrella offices. The problem that we had was with one of their Louisiana umbrella offices/travel agent.

She finally got her travel documents on Friday. The lady that I spoke with at RESA (a higher up) said that the travel agent came traipsing in on Thursday, threw down 69 packets and was very rude. I just bet she was 'cause I was on her behind like flies on a cow patty.

 

[DisneyJo]

Oh wow how cool that you saw someone with your bag, I'm sure they'd have been delighted if you'd said Hi

That bag search line looked crazy, can you remind me again what dates you were there?

 

[mickeystoontown]

I have another question. How long did it take for you to eat at T-REX ? Including wait times. I'm trying to make reservations for T-REX and the Cirque du Soleil for the same night and dont know how much time to allow between. Thanks for your help

Okay, I went back and looked at our 2013 itinerary. The Cirque show was at 6 p.m. and lasted an hour and a half. I remember this now because we had thirty minutes to get to our 8:00 p.m. ADR at T-Rex.

I usually allot about an hour and a half for any table service meal and I believe that's about what our meal was at T-Rex.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh wow how cool that you saw someone with your bag, I'm sure they'd have been delighted if you'd said Hi

That bag search line looked crazy, can you remind me again what dates you were there?

It's weird because I'm not a timid person at all but I felt odd in walking up to the person.

Our trip was May 22nd to June 1st. It was quite busy that morning!

 

[PrncessA]

I found your TR a while ago and I am trying to catch up. Loving your TR and your Southern sayin's! I am from the hills in Tennessee originally, so I understand them all.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I found your TR a while ago and I am trying to catch up. Loving your TR and your Southern sayin's! I am from the hills in Tennessee originally, so I understand them all.

Welcome! Welcome! Glad to have ya! Hope that you'll feel free to post because I love hearing from fellow Disney lovers.

 

[KatMark]

Since Kathy asked and you mentioned it- and it shows just how useful your backsacks truly are- I am going to post the ways we use your string bags to make life and bag check simpler when we tour the parks. I added this info to the FAQ section of the Beach & Yacht Club thread after our trip in July.



Can you explain "String-Bag Theory" to me?

Well, I am no physicist, but yes I can!

Some of you know that I have an unhealthy obsession with string bags and Ziplocs.

1) On days when we don't need ponchos, we try to only bring what we can carry through in our hands or pockets. Folded backsack(s) in back pocket. Cell Phones and small point & shoot cameras in shorts pockets or larger camera hanging around neck (no camera bag)- extra memory cards/batteries in pockets. Carry bottles of water.

Once you are through bag check, you can take the folded backsack out of your back pocket and empty the things in your pockets, plus the drinks, into the sack to make it easier to carry.


2) This is how we packed our ponchos for the Disney parks last week.

We rolled our ponchos into a large (2 or 2 1/2 gallon bag). Any other stuff we brought into the parks, like moleskin, extra memory cards, camera batteries and journals for notes, went into another, smaller plastic bag. We also carried another empty large ziploc to keep everything dry if it rained. We would wear the ponchos and then the string bag and contents would fit into the bag. When it stopped raining, we tried to wring out the ponchos, roll them up and place them back in their bag so they didn't get everything else wet.

It was great going through bag check. We had two clear see-through bags that the checkers didn't even have to open- just look and give a quick squeeze. Someone else carried the deflated string bag in their pocket. Once past that point, the two bags went back into the string bag.






PS- my bag was custom made by DISer Mickeystoontown. She often adds a Mickey Head outline decoration to the bag but I preferred to have mine without one.

PPS- the observant reader may notice that some of these bags are Hefty, not Ziploc. A rose by any other name...

LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea. Thank you.

 

[mickeystoontown]

LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea. Thank you.

I'm definitely using Dee's tips next trip! I may just make a new backsack for every day.

 

[momabbate]

Glad the pipes got fix!! I have had to work without no water before not fun at all.
To funny about John and fp. I agree fpp+ are going to make things a little easier. At least that is what I keep telling myself.
How cool to see your bag! You did surprise me by not saying something. Even a cheesy line about liking their bag. But then again I don't start conversations much. I am trying to work on this.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Glad the pipes got fix!! I have had to work without no water before not fun at all.

Let's just say it.....IT SUCKS!

To funny about John and fp. I agree fpp+ are going to make things a little easier. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

I've been repeating the same thing. This is going to work perfectly!


How cool to see your bag! You did surprise me by not saying something. Even a cheesy line about liking their bag. But then again I don't start conversations much. I am trying to work on this.

If I had recognized the lady from the Dis, then, yep, I'd have said something. But, a lot of my backsacks are sold online and I never meet the person or know what they look like.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Cadillac on 22s! Now that’s a good lookin’ ride!

After spotting MY bag and taking a sneak picture of it, we continued on towards the newly designed Test Track.



Since we had Fastpasses, we walked on past a lot of people but when we got to the point where two lines combine, we stopped. There was talk that the ride had shut down. No official announcement though and, honestly, even if there had been, I don’t know how we would have slipped out of there since the queue was pretty congested. When it did start moving again, it moved at a snail’s pace.

The people in front of us (a group ranging in the very late teens, early 20s and a few older adults) would stop, sit down and then roll back up off the floor every single time. I’m talking EVERY single time. People, I understand that you get tired. I understand if your feet hurt. I understand that the queue is boring. But stand the heck up so you aren’t holding up those behind you. At one point, two of them were still sitting on the ground while the others moved up ahead and John stepped right over them and motioned for us to as well. And, we did and so did a couple behind us. You should have seen the shock on their faces and how they looked when they had to say “excuse me, can we get by and join our group?”. If they can’t get up off their sorry.....Lisa, shut up before you get in trouble.

Finally, we got to the point in the queue where you design your own ride vehicle. We let Hunter have control of making our’s:


while Lacey and Jesse made their own.


At one point, our’s looked like a sleek Cadillac and that’s when we started singing Cadillac on 22s. That’s all that we said “Cadillac on 22s” ‘cause that’s all the lyrics that we knew.

After much tapping of the screen, moving things around, changing up colors, etc., this is what we ended up with:



Now that’s a cool looking ride!

Lacey and Jesse’s turned out pretty snazzy as well:



Designing done, we moved along and were soon getting ready to hop in our race car:



We were off:







Annnnnnnnd, then, we were outside on the test track!









How fast did our car go?



Hunter found our car (or was that Lacey and Jesse’s car?) and we saw it taking a spin on the screen:









I’m not a techie or a gamer but the new Test Track is pretty good. I did think that the older version needed some freshening up so I’m okay with the new Test Track.

***Up next: I ain’t afraid of no trolls! I’ve got big muscles!

 

[GrammyJudy]

For some reason I didn't go on test track so it was good seeing the updates. Your car looks like a future Nascar model but Lacey's looks like a vw bug on steroids.

 

[melnbil]

Morning ya'll! I had thought that I'd get an update posted yesterday but things have been a little "off" here at the office.

You see, the cold weather came blowing in and our pipes froze. Did I still have to come to work? You betcha. Did my boss? Well, he came in one of the three days because he had court. The other two days, he was dealing with frozen pipes at his house and a car that wouldn't start.

It's been "interesting" to say the least. Picture me in an office with no bathroom. Or maybe you don't want to do that. Thank goodness we are just a block from the courthouse and I can walk down there and use the facilities. The bathroom is up and running today. Who would have thought that you'd have to have a dancing smiley when talking about a working toilet?

Hi Lisa. Just getting back on the boards after a sadness hit since I wasn't getting to go to DW. But, we managed to work it out and we get to go. It is funny you mentioned frozen pipes, my best friend works for an attorney too, and their pipes froze as well. She said she had never been happier to have running water again than when she could tinkle when she had too.

Back to finish catching up now.

 

[TinksThree]

I've found myself wishing for warm weather too! As I was posting the pictures of the resort, I, literally, said outloud "I wish I were there right now." Yeah, I was talking to myself.

[/COLOR]

I talk to myself too...I didn't know there was something wrong with that! I just try to not let people hear me answer myself!!

I like the new Test Track! The designing your own car is cool and the Tron effects have grown on me! I think change just hurts for some. It does for me but I feel Future World needs some changes!

 

[KatMark]

I hate rude people. Seriously, I would have been leading the pack with John in climbing over them.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the new Test Track and unless there is no line, Mark and I will skip it...although I am sure the girls will want to do it in May/June. I do like the ride itself, I just could do without the designing.

I will say you guys did great on your designs of your cars.

 

[scottny]

OH NO! Speedos should be outlawed.
It looks so relaxing to just sit and people watch there.
Frozen pipes stink.
Living with the Land is Vinny’s favorite ride. Thankfully I enjoy it too.
That is nice that you saw one of your bags.
Good for John walking by the people sitting. They should move and how inconsiderate to expect everyone to wait while they sit.
I like the ride part of TT but getting there is horrible.
Great updates and pics.

 

[maryj11]

Okay, I went back and looked at our 2013 itinerary. The Cirque show was at 6 p.m. and lasted an hour and a half. I remember this now because we had thirty minutes to get to our 8:00 p.m. ADR at T-Rex.

I usually allot about an hour and a half for any table service meal and I believe that's about what our meal was at T-Rex.

Ok thanks, this was exactly what I wanted to know if booked both at 2 hours apart would work out . Right now we have a 7:00 reservation at T-rex and was thinking of going to the 9:00 Cirque show. We can always leave the restaurant early though if we have to.
So do think the line for fastpass will be long waits on TT or was it just because it had been broken down ? That is one fastpass we plan on getting for sure when we go, hope it isnt going to be a long wait.