20 years is way too long and I am clueless PTR- help-i've got transporation confusion

[lbuzz52]

We should never allow life to interrupt play time, that's why we go to WDW
1.I'm not sure how long the Block party blast is. If you just want to watch it as a parade(this is what we do) a good spot is over by ST. It just goes by without stopping. We have enjoyed doing it this way, especially in the heat.
2.I have never had a problem using my fp anytime after I collect them. Hopefully you will not need them during EMH. Make sure if you are not going to use them right away to look at the time on the bottom to see when your next available time is to get a new fp. Some people think you have to wait until the fp is over and sometimes that isn't true.
3. Ok this is our rule of thumb for exiting after shows like this. We wait. Yep that's it, we just sit a few min. and wait til most of the crowds are gone. Then we get up and leave without fighting the crowds. We do almost everytime we go to a show. It just doesn't make sense to fight our way out when we can just sit. We talk about the show. A couple times we waited for the crowds at the Indiana Stunt show and we actually got to meet the actors. It was a highlight of our trip.
Hope that helps!

Again on you DHS day make sure you get a TS fp right away. Send someone ahead who can walk faster.

re: #1- that is what i was planning to ride just before the BPB, so yeah me! for making a smart decision!

as far as the show thing goes- i was just curious- the LMA will probably play only twice while we are at DHS, and one of those is at the same time as my ADR. Was just hoping to make a 430 LMA, and a 530 Indy but i've read that it can be a pain to get out of the LMA show.

do you ever need FP for VOLM?
will Everest or the safaris have FP left after lunchtime?

 

[that's nice]

re: #1- that is what i was planning to ride just before the BPB, so yeah me! for making a smart decision!

as far as the show thing goes- i was just curious- the LMA will probably play only twice while we are at DHS, and one of those is at the same time as my ADR. Was just hoping to make a 430 LMA, and a 530 Indy but i've read that it can be a pain to get out of the LMA show.

do you ever need FP for VOLM?
will Everest or the safaris have FP left after lunchtime?

Watching the BPB while it stops is pretty cool. There are people jumping on trampolines and they take kids out of the crowd to join in on some dancing.

You most likely get a FP after lunch for both. I'd try to hit the safari first thing though. The animals are usually more active earlier in the morning.

 

[lbuzz52]

Watching the BPB while it stops is pretty cool. There are people jumping on trampolines and they take kids out of the crowd to join in on some dancing.

You most likely get a FP after lunch for both. I'd try to hit the safari first thing though. The animals are usually more active earlier in the morning.

are the stops like ten minutes each? if we try to catch near the last stop (Near ST), when would you think we should we anticipate it being there

we got our FG postcard yesterday! thanks again! i told Maya she had mail, and she couldn't believe it was from Tinkerbell herself. She felt very special!

 

[that's nice]

are the stops like ten minutes each? if we try to catch near the last stop (Near ST), when would you think we should we anticipate it being there

we got our FG postcard yesterday! thanks again! i told Maya she had mail, and she couldn't believe it was from Tinkerbell herself. She felt very special!

There are only 2 stops... and they are 10-15 minutes each. I guess it would be about 3:20 to 3:30 or so.

I was wondering when you were going to get the card. I'm glad she like it!!! I feel like the postcard selection wasn't that great. We liked the 'moving' TINK!!!

 

[lbuzz52]

There are only 2 stops... and they are 10-15 minutes each. I guess it would be about 3:20 to 3:30 or so.

I was wondering when you were going to get the card. I'm glad she like it!!! I feel like the postcard selection wasn't that great. We liked the 'moving' TINK!!!

my mom said my nephew got his today. his response...
mickey sent me a letter. i'm going to meet mickey at disney. we'll say hi and shake hands and push each other down.

boys...


i saw something about silohettes somewhere. where are those at?

 

[mchelle77]

I know they do them at MK, I have a note about it somewhere .. let me look ...

OK, I think there's a shop on Main Street, and a cart somewhere near Liberty Tree Tavern I think? I've read there are three places.

 

[lbuzz52]

I know they do them at MK, I have a note about it somewhere .. let me look ...

OK, I think there's a shop on Main Street, and a cart somewhere near Liberty Tree Tavern I think? I've read there are three places.

thanks! I'm surprised you knew what i was talking about, the way I butchered the spelling of that word

 

[mchelle77]

Yep, I read about it somewhere and made a note of it. I want to get one of my DD to remember the trip by

 

[lbuzz52]

okay- i think i've solved my transportation issues for the most part.

i bought a new app for my phone. its disney transportation wizard. its from our laughing place, i think. its neat, you just plug in a starting point, and an ending point, and then it gives you 2 or 3 options of ways you can get there and an approximate travel time. i sure hope its accurate- it looks so easy!

but i do still have one question on it- if you take a bus to epcot or dhs, can you get to the boat dock area without entering the park?

i won a lot of pins off of ebay- i figured i'd give the kids about 10 each- but i didn't realize how heavy they would be. may have to rethink that one.

as for the "touring"-
i feel like my plans are both commando and filled to the brim. i've got a couple rides/shows for each day that are marked to skip if needed (for time constraints or a breather). its just hard to take much of anything off the list when i know it will be 3-4 years until we go back possibly.
i've tried to stick to things near each other to minimize walking, other then first thing in the morning rides. for most things, i've allotted about 45 minutes for rides and waits. i'm hoping we can stay near that average at least. does that seem reasonable? and about an hour for meals?
i've been putting off my touring plan for MK- i can't decide how i want to do it. we have a full day, then about 2 hours, then then the halloween party, then a full day. i'm lost on the MNSSHP plan too. should i make the plan for a 1.5 day touring, then redo some favorites the second half of the second day (basically ignoring the MNSSHP day within the plan)? i know half of my group is going to laugh at me anyway and go completely off the plan. and i know kids my throw the plan off too. but i just *NEED* to have basic idea of how to do things so i get at least the must dos in.

 

[8disneyfans]

I think the transportation wizard app looks neat I'm going to look it up. You can get to the boat dock without going into he parks. The one at epcot drops you off at the world showcase by France.

 

[that's nice]

as for the "touring"-
i feel like my plans are both commando and filled to the brim. i've got a couple rides/shows for each day that are marked to skip if needed (for time constraints or a breather). its just hard to take much of anything off the list when i know it will be 3-4 years until we go back possibly.
i've tried to stick to things near each other to minimize walking, other then first thing in the morning rides. for most things, i've allotted about 45 minutes for rides and waits. i'm hoping we can stay near that average at least. does that seem reasonable? and about an hour for meals?
i've been putting off my touring plan for MK- i can't decide how i want to do it. we have a full day, then about 2 hours, then then the halloween party, then a full day. i'm lost on the MNSSHP plan too. should i make the plan for a 1.5 day touring, then redo some favorites the second half of the second day (basically ignoring the MNSSHP day within the plan)? i know half of my group is going to laugh at me anyway and go completely off the plan. and i know kids my throw the plan off too. but i just *NEED* to have basic idea of how to do things so i get at least the must dos in.

OK- (not a bash, just one internet persons opinion) We did Disney before I knew the DIS existed. We didn't have a plan, we just utilized fast passes for the bigger rides and hit rides in the same area. I know that being on this site makes you think you have to have everything planned to the T... and maybe that works for you. We didn't do every ride.. heck there are still rides I still haven't done in 4 trips. I can live with that. It makes it more exciting for the next time.. even if the next time is 4 years away!

About MNSSHP... Plan on getting there at 4 if you can. Hit some rides right away, have dinner, get ready for the party! The time flies by at the party. We stayed at the party till 10:45ish. Focus more on the party aspect of it- parade, hallowishes, trick or treating and seeing some characters. You will be fine!! If you are passing a ride and the kids want to do it... then DO IT!!!

Sorry... I just got the vibe that you are getting stressed out a little bit. Don't worry! Everything will be great and I'm sure you will have the most amazing trip!!!! Think about how many people go to WDW with no planning what so ever. Believe me you are well ahead of the game.

 

[lbuzz52]

OK- (not a bash, just one internet persons opinion) We did Disney before I knew the DIS existed. We didn't have a plan, we just utilized fast passes for the bigger rides and hit rides in the same area. I know that being on this site makes you think you have to have everything planned to the T... and maybe that works for you. We didn't do every ride.. heck there are still rides I still haven't done in 4 trips. I can live with that. It makes it more exciting for the next time.. even if the next time is 4 years away!

About MNSSHP... Plan on getting there at 4 if you can. Hit some rides right away, have dinner, get ready for the party! The time flies by at the party. We stayed at the party till 10:45ish. Focus more on the party aspect of it- parade, hallowishes, trick or treating and seeing some characters. You will be fine!! If you are passing a ride and the kids want to do it... then DO IT!!!

Sorry... I just got the vibe that you are getting stressed out a little bit. Don't worry! Everything will be great and I'm sure you will have the most amazing trip!!!! Think about how many people go to WDW with no planning what so ever. Believe me you are well ahead of the game.

first of all, funny you should mention the planning to a T- i was watching a bit of Extreme Home Makeover this morning while i was feeding the baby- and they gave the family a trip to Disney World. The family was of course ecstatic. but all i could think about was how unprepared they were.

the planning does come from being on this board- but also from a couple other things.
first of all, trip planning is my 9-6 job. my actual title is trip coordinator. so not having a basic schedule seems odd for me. but the stress of it also comes from the unfamiliar. that's really a nerve wracking thing for me

i'm not normally a stickler with plans in my own life- but i have to tell you - there is something in the air when my family gets together that means no one can make a decision. i mean its absolutely ridiculous. we have not gone to dinner before because no one could make a decision on where to go. not that we couldn't agree- just no one would speak up for fear of the other not liking the choice. so i really do feel that having a plan is the way to go for us this time. If we dont follow it, fine. but if we get to the what do you want to do, where do you want to eat, i can just follow the plan and be done with it.

my other issue is with my dh. we did DL last year for one day- and we got there late. Yet we had a wheelchair guest in our party. we got everything that a pregnant woman could ride- plus lunch, dinner, and a parade, in under 9 hours. the longest line we had was under 5 minutes. i'm afraid that if we have a ton of long lines, he wont want to go back. he already is hesitant to spend that much money. not that we haven't put vacation money aside for this trip- just that its a bit of sticker shock for him.
but, to sum this up, yes, i'm stressing!

i know you haven't gotten there in your TR yet- but did you fit in the following at MNSSHP- i'm having issues with timing. we do plan to get there near 4, and then have CS dinner a bit thereafter.
the carriage (or another major character)
the dance party
the fireworks
the parade
the villians show

totally off subject, but you should see my 8 month old begging his 4 year sister for a bit of her lollipop.

 

[that's nice]

well i think the planning does come from being on this board- but also from a couple other things.
first of all, trip planning is my 9-6 job. my actual title is trip coordinator. so not having a basic schedule seems odd for me.
i'm not normally a stickler with plans in my own life- but i have to tell you - there is something in the air when my family gets together that means no one can make a decision. i mean its absolutely ridiculous. we have not gone to dinner before because no one could make a decision on where to go. not that we couldn't agree- just no one would speak up for fear of the other not liking the choice. so i really do feel that having a plan is the way to go for us this time. If we dont follow it, fine. but if we get to the what do you want to do, where do you want to eat, i can just follow the plan and be done with it.
my other issue is with my dh. we did DL last year for one day- and we got there late. Yet we had a wheelchair guest in our party. we got everything that a pregnant woman could ride- plus lunch, dinner, and a parade, in under 9 hours. the longest line we had was under 5 minutes. i'm afraid that if we have a ton of long lines, he wont want to go back. he already is hesitant to spend that much money. not that we haven't put vacation money aside for this trip- just that its a bit of sticker shock for him.

but, to sum this up, yes, i'm stressing!


i know you haven't gotten there in your TR yet- but did you fit in the following at MNSSHP- i'm having issues with timing. we do plan to get there near 4, and then have CS dinner a bit thereafter.
the carriage (or another major character)
the dance party
the fireworks
the parade
the villians show

totally off subject, but you should see my 8 month old begging his 4 year sister for a bit of her lollipop.

Quick response because I have to make dinner.

the carriage (or another major character)- we did the carriage
the dance party- never made it
the fireworks- sort of... we were in tommorrowland and caught them from the side.
the parade- yes it was awesome
the villians show- yes and did the meet & greet after

EDIT:::: Sorry for the short response. We took our pic in front of the carriage right after we ate dinner. Then walked to find a spot for the parade. We missed the beginning of the fireworks for more than one reason and didn't have a good spot for it. Then we headed over to see the villians show & then the mix & mingle. We saw a few other characters and did some trick or treating. We didn't do a dance party which I really wanted DD to do... but no biggie. Some ride lines were short.. some like Peter Pan were longer. I hope this is a help. If I can get to Tuesday before you leave on my TR you will read the whole story!

 

[8disneyfans]

I agree, it is not a great idea to try to plan everything to a T. But it is a good idea to have something in mind so you don't wander around not knowing what to do. We had the park we were at each day and where we were eating. We had an idea what we wanted to do but it wasn't set in stone. And it's good to have the freedom to change plans without a panic.

 

[mchelle77]

We had the park we were at each day and where we were eating. We had an idea what we wanted to do but it wasn't set in stone.

This is exactly what we have .. in a perfect world, we'd all be able to just do what we want, when we want, but that aint's happening in DISNEY world

 

[lbuzz52]

I came on here this morning to work on my MK plans- i have nothing done for them, just trying to get an idea of what i want to hit first thing, etc. instead, i've gotten sidetracked on the changes on the photopass cd. i'm not sure why i didn't preorder it- for some reason i had it in my head it was no hurry, i could just do it when ever and i didn't want to do it to early for expiration purposes. and now its changed. i've got my mom searching thru all her paperwork and emails to see if we got the discounts or anything.

my sis in law & niece went back to germany yesterday... two more years.

any thoughts on online check-in? if i check in online and fax my building request- should it be okay that way? i like the time savings at check-in but i don;t necessarily like that the rooms are already assigned.

 

[mchelle77]

I put in my building request a while back (I called) but I didn't really care, to be honest. It's our first time on-site, so anything is good with us!

I'm going to do online check-in, but I'm going to wait until the day before we leave. I'm not sure what time we'll get there, but just in case there's a long line at check-in, I want to be sure we don't waste a lot of time waiting around - we could get in around 5pm and we have 1900 reservations at 8pm .. I want to be able to stop at Downtown Disney before that, so I'd be PO'd if we had to wait a long time to check in.

 

[that's nice]

any thoughts on online check-in? if i check in online and fax my building request- should it be okay that way? i like the time savings at check-in but i don;t necessarily like that the rooms are already assigned.

From what I've read on here they get assigned regardless if you do online check-in or don't. The online check-in will save you time because the CM will not have to enter all your CC information and other info they need. Your packet will already be put together and it should go fairly quickly.

What are you requesting? I either forgot or you didn't tell us!! LOLOL

 

[onelilspark]

We totally over-did MNSSHP because I was trying to do a park day AND the Halloween party...I wish I had listened to people!!!

 

[lbuzz52]

From what I've read on here they get assigned regardless if you do online check-in or don't. The online check-in will save you time because the CM will not have to enter all your CC information and other info they need. Your packet will already be put together and it should go fairly quickly.

What are you requesting? I either forgot or you didn't tell us!! LOLOL

i don't remember if i told you either
I'm not too picky- being that i haven't ever seen the place. I want the grandstand area- its close to the main building and first on the bus stops.
crud, i can't remember if the buildings have elevators or not... better go look at that.

We totally over-did MNSSHP because I was trying to do a park day AND the Halloween party...I wish I had listened to people!!!

welcome back!!
forgive my newbieness... do you mean that you went to the park for a whole day and then the halloween party after and got worn out?