25 yrs and just a little bit longer! SoG, Dec 17-23 PTR: Check out the new TR!

[magichusky]

What in the Disney World??? Finally I can do my Drew Brees impression: "I'm goin' to Disney World!" Hello friends and welcome to my beloved PTR! I say beloved b/c I've wished and wished that I could be on my way to the World for my entire life and now I AM!! So let me tell you my story...

I'm Lauren, a 25 yro graduate student, and am so desperate to graduate that I'm on the verge of going to Home Depot, cleaning them out through and through of Disney paint chips, and constructing a countdown calendar this very minute! I'm on my way to the World w/ my Mom (3rd grade teacher), Dad (retired Colonel in the military; we call him Colonel Joy), and sister Heather (32 yro, school counselor). I'm a Disney fanatic and have always dreamed of going to WDW, but my parents don't like to fly and WDW is clear on the other side of the country for us! Before you feel too sorry for me, I must confess that I've lived about an hour away from Disneyland since I was 5 yro and consequently am NO stranger to the Disney magic. But unfortunately, since I've been practically cemented in the wild wild west for my entire life (I've gone out of state once since I was 5- haha, yeah...) I AM an involuntary stranger to the WORLD.

Okay- so here's the scoop: we'll be staying at Shades of Green (SoG) from Friday, Dec 17 through Thursday, Dec 23. We'll be leaving on Christmas Eve for Texas to visit my brother's family for Christmas, then returning home on the 29th. Can anyone say jingle all the way????

So without further ado, I'm just going to jump right into this PTR since there are already less than 3 weeks to go 'til departure!!

What we have so far:

PART 1: Cast of Characters
PART 2: A little pre-World cheer from the Land
PART 3: Happy Thanksgiving and our voyage to the New World.
PART 4: My awesome itinerary (yes, I'm sharing it w/ YOU!).
PART 5: To ride or not to ride?
PART 6: My souvenirs, please.
PART 7: Christmas cookies & ADRs & coupons! Plus pocket itineraries.
PART 8: Let's get the heck outta here!!!

And here's what's coming up:

That's a wrap, everybody! Follow Danny Tanner to the new TR! (coming to your neighborhood shortly)


PART 1: Cast of Characters

This is me w/ my niece, Baby Lily, at my 25th birthday gathering:

Here's Heather attempting to swallow my specially-ordered-Baskin-Robbins-purple-bunny-cake whole (Oh yeah, and that's her husband Dave in the background. What? I lack enthusiasm?):

My mom on Tom Sawyer's Island at DL in Fall 2009:

My vain father, Col. Joy, gloating over his prized possession:

Do you see why we call him Col. Joy? Ugh.

My crazy dog, Loki:

He sits like that for long periods of time, actually!

Anyway, I desperately need to finish a certain obnoxious paper I've been chipping away at recently- I'll be sure to post more quite soon so you all can pass judgement on my itinerary and such. In the meantime, I would love your input on something so please participate in my fabulous poll: should we bother going to the last MVMCP on 12/19? Since we'll be in the World beyond the date of the final party we will have access to Holiday Wishes and the Christmas Parade in MK starting 12/20. With this in mind, is the extra $240 for 4 party tix worth it? Let me know!

'Til next time!

 

[magichusky]

PART 2: A little pre-World cheer from the Land

Okay, so I'm still procrastinating on that gosh darn paper. But here are some DL pics to cheer me up! (I hope they cheer you up, too!) These were taken on Nov 11th, Veteran's Day. Even though it was a Thursday, pretty much everyone in the southern CA region made a pilgrimage to the land that day. I haven't seen it that crowded in years actually. Just disgusting, really.

Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in a proper visit before I leave for the World on Dec 17th, since this day I was only stopping by for an hour or two. Small World holiday version is really a must. Do they decorate SW for Christmas in WDW? I also seem to be under the impression that they don't do the Nightmare Before Christmas theming in the Haunted Mansion in WDW? I need to know these things!

Okay- I'm off to work on my evil paper. I'll get the Thanksgiving segment posted soon! It's going to include some insanely amusing before & after pics of our house, which was recently remodeled.

 

[amazingact21]

Hi, traveling over here from my PTR!

It's so wonderful that you are getting to go to WDW for the first time! It's a magical experience you'll remember for the rest of your life. pixiedust

Your dog is so cute! I love huskies.

I wish I could help with the decoration questions, but I haven't been during the holidays in six years, so I have no idea what they do in the parks.

I can only imagine how seeing DL decorated increased your WDW anticipation!

 

[VBsHustla]

Yay, glad you started a pre-TR! Excellent start. Love the pics of Loki and your dad.

Sadly small world will not be Christmasy in the least. I can no longer enjoy that ride the way I once did after experiencing the DL Christmas version. Those colorful lights and songs are just glorious! The Haunted Mansion will also remain in its usual, frightening state.

Not sure about the Christmas party, but isn't it the same parade we saw and hated in DL? With the ice skating snowmen and such? And those horrendous fireworks? I'm not sure I'd trust them to throw a very good Christmas party after seeing those productions! I asked Leonard, who said that it was okay, but probably not worth the money if you'll be there another night.

 

[VBsHustla]

Also, now Nick Jonas is in my head

 

[Eight]

You started a PTR!

Aww, Loki is such a handsome dog. Kind of funny that he sits that way though. You gotta love dogs and their little quirks.

Not too sure about the party tickets, as I've never been during the holidays, though I think I've heard the parties get crowded later in the month. So if you have access to the fireworks and the parade later, maybe it wouldn't be worth it if the parties are crowded? The only party I went to at WDW was the Pirate and Princess Party, which I guess they don't do any more, and that was great because it wasn't very crowded. I personally only think the parties are a good deal if they're not crowded. But like I said, I've never been at this time, so what do I know?

I'm certain they don't do Haunted Mansion Holiday in WDW, and I don't think they do a holiday Small World either, but I'm not positive.

Looking forward to hearing more about what you plan to do.

 

[magichusky]

It's so wonderful that you are getting to go to WDW for the first time! It's a magical experience you'll remember for the rest of your life. pixiedust

Your dog is so cute! I love huskies.

I can only imagine how seeing DL decorated increased your WDW anticipation!

Thanks for reading and also for the Loki complement! He's quite the character. And yes, my DL obsession and WDW anticipation is making it almost impossible for me to get any work done lately!

Sadly small world will not be Christmasy in the least. I can no longer enjoy that ride the way I once did after experiencing the DL Christmas version. Those colorful lights and songs are just glorious! The Haunted Mansion will also remain in its usual, frightening state.

Whaaaat??? I can't believe they don't decorate SW!!! That is completely ridiculous- I am VERY disappointed. Not to mention the fact that the queue in FL is inside a building and has windows a CS restaurant looks out from apparently? I refuse to ride in such an inferior version of SW! And I can only bear to go in the HM while it's in Christmas mode- I might have to skip it altogether!

Not sure about the Christmas party, but isn't it the same parade we saw and hated in DL? With the ice skating snowmen and such? And those horrendous fireworks? I'm not sure I'd trust them to throw a very good Christmas party after seeing those productions! I asked Leonard, who said that it was okay, but probably not worth the money if you'll be there another night.

Hahaha I don't recall the Christmas parade in DL! I must've been too focused on evacuating to even notice the ice skating snowmen. Evacuating that place really does take a lot of energy sometimes. And yes I hated the Holiday Wishes now that you mention it! It made me sleepy. In fact, I scheduled our cruise so that we could watch the original Wishes while aboard. It switches over to Holiday Wishes on the next night.

Also, now Nick Jonas is in my head

Hahahaha how could such a horrific voice belonging to such a disgusting child stuck in your head??? I can hear the nasally yodeling now.

Not too sure about the party tickets, as I've never been during the holidays, though I think I've heard the parties get crowded later in the month. So if you have access to the fireworks and the parade later, maybe it wouldn't be worth it if the parties are crowded? The only party I went to at WDW was the Pirate and Princess Party, which I guess they don't do any more, and that was great because it wasn't very crowded. I personally only think the parties are a good deal if they're not crowded. But like I said, I've never been at this time, so what do I know?

I'm certain they don't do Haunted Mansion Holiday in WDW, and I don't think they do a holiday Small World either, but I'm not positive.

Thanks for coming!! And Loki is loving all the compliments he's getting on his photo! I totally agree about the party being crowded. Since it's the last one of the season, it'll prob be jammed and miserable. I just enjoyed the Halloween party at DL so much that I actually started reconsidering MVMCP! That's so weird that they don't decorate the HM or SW? Those are such huge holiday must-do's at DL (well, maybe not so much the HM for me, since it totally wigs me out; however it's substantially less disturbing in its Christmas overlay) that I will prob miss them terribly at MK!

 

[magichusky]

Also, now Nick Jonas is in my head

OMG hahaha I'm such a dimwit, I forgot about my very own NJ reference! Haha "A Little Bit Longer" surfaced on my iPod recently and I was horrified that I had committed such a reference! I guess the Jonas lyrics are just smoldering in my subconscious constantly.

 

[VBsHustla]

OMG hahaha I'm such a dimwit, I forgot about my very own NJ reference! Haha "A Little Bit Longer" surfaced on my iPod recently and I was horrified that I had committed such a reference! I guess the Jonas lyrics are just smoldering in my subconscious constantly.

I was debating whether or not it was an intentional reference. I figured it was not once I opened the post and did not find a 40 minute rambling introduction about how sometimes we all have some pretty tough times like at that great concert. Loved that speech!

I recall seeing this weird snowman parade while being trapped near small world. You probably were plotting an escape route.

 

[magichusky]

PART 3: Happy Thanksgiving and our voyage to the New World.

Why hello again everyone! I'm in a perfectly perfect state of cheer at the moment b/c I finished another draft of my evil paper at 6am yesterday morning! I took some amusing pics of our Thanksgiving celebration so I'll post them now. Our WDW tix arrived a few days before Thanksgiving- here's me flipping out about them:

The pink binder in the photo is my WDW travel itinerary, which I will post more details about later since it's so fabulous.

Our Thanksgiving was a little quiet this year since my brother and his family recently moved away to Texas and my Mom is feuding w/ her 3 brothers (well, the feuding is really exclusively on my uncles' parts). So we were just stuck w/ Heather and Dave this year! Here's Heather setting the table:

My Mom cooking up a storm w/ Loki supervising:

Want to see what our kitchen looked like before the remodel...?

Pardon the mess, but that pic was taken as we were clearing out the house for the remodel. Goodbye 1979!

My family has something against photos so it took quite a lot to get everyone posing appropriately for this pic right before dinner:

Of course the only one looking glum was Colonel Joy. Here's that bossy sister of mine taking charge of the dinner conversation. She thinks she knows everything! (Haha, just kidding- but this pic is a perfect representation of her crazily bombastic personality!):

Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaase???

Finally, it was time for dessert. Apple-Caramel cheesecake to be exact from a lovely little bakery nearby:

As we were gathering around the island for dessert, Loki decided it was time to pester Dave. Dave has been sporadically visiting our house for around a decade now and we've had massive huskies roaming the grounds the entire time. Somehow he just hasn't gotten anywhere used to it by now. And somehow he finds it perfectly acceptable to allow his disgusting parrot to poop all over his clothing yet he becomes jumpy and agitated when he finds a single dog hair stuck to his person. That is why I adore this photo very, very much:

Heather and Dave's 2nd anniversary was only a few days prior to this day, hence the "2" candle on the pie in this pic.

That was pretty much our Thanksgiving! It was pretty uneventful and unfortunately there was no WDW talk since...hee-hee... Dave wasn't invited since he's proven himself to be quite the moocher! My goodness, you all are going to think that we're a terribly judgemental lot- we're actually quite tolerant! Don't get me wrong- we don't dislike him too too much, but we could only acquire one room at SoG since apparently their Christmas rooms book up a year in advance, and my parents certainly weren't interested in financing Dave's Florida vacation!

Next time, I'll post our itinerary and you can take a tour of my WDW binder if you like!

 

[magichusky]

PART 4: My awesome itinerary (yes, I'm sharing it w/ YOU!).

Why hello there! I'm super excited to share our trip's nitty gritty details w/ you all, since that's really what all we crazy DISers truly love. I thought I would just give you a tour of my WDW master plan binder...

The binder, modeled by an annoyed Loki:

Inside:

Here's a run down of what's actually inside this thing:

-a special zippered compartment to safely stow all theme park tix
-our WDW and Texas itineraries
-a homemade grid of park hours, including EMH and special events, plus expected crowd levels for each park
-master list of ADRs and special events w/ confirmation #s
-flight info
-hotel info
-rental car info
-Florida info, including Ron Jon Surf Shop & Kennedy Space Center
-hard copies of our tix in case we lose them in the parks

Ok- so here's my park hours grid for the days we'll be visiting. Why doesn't WDW have some master grid like this on their website? DL certainly does.

Here's how it's organized: (think of the traffic light analogy)
bright green = least crowded (best option)
light green = not too crowded (ok option)
orange = pretty crowded (2nd to worst option)
hot pink = most crowded (worst option)
*gift boxes indicate which parks we'll most likely be visiting that day.

Basically the way we'll probably operate is to have a primary and secondary park for each day. We'll arrive at the primary for rope drop and stay at least through lunch then migrate to the secondary for dinner or EMH. I found online somewhere this list taken from Frommer's Florida 2004 Guide:

Worst days of the week to visit each park:
AK: Mon, Tue, Wed
DHS: Wed, Sun
Epcot: Tue, Fri
MK: Mon, Thur, Sat

The sucker that I am, I believed this Frommer character and incorporated the above list into my strategy. Furthermore, I avoided slating a park w/ EMH as our primary (SoG gets EMH, too- isn't that awesome??). The only time we'll be participating in EMH is at night when that's the only park open anyway. I cross-checked my crowd logic w/ this great site, easyWDW, and was pleased to discover that we agreed quite well!

And now for the grand reveal- here's our WDW itinerary:

As you can see, we have some super awesome special events planned, including the Wishes cruise, a Holiday sleigh ride through Fort Wilderness, and the Candlelight Processional dinner package at Le Cellier (I had to call WDW at 4am PST and was on hold for an hour to get that baby!). All meals are in red, and all meals w/ specific times displayed are ADRs. We're pretty flexible on our last 2 days so we can have the freedom to choose whichever parks we feel we need more time in (can't really figure that out before we get there, especially since we've never been to WDW before!).

I am definitely aware that my itinerary is seemingly extraordinarily OCD driven, but since the parks will most certainly be super crowded during this week leading up to Christmas and also taking into account our extreme unfamiliarity with the World I wanted to be sure we didn't make any bad decisions. Plus, I decided to research the quality of CS locales so we don't wind up w/ any disgusting lunches!

That's all for now- I'm annoyed b/c I'm still trying to get my parents and sister to come to a final decision on airport transportation, which is the very last thing we have to figure out. Apparently it's rocket science.

See ya real soon!

 

[magichusky]

Part 5: To ride or not to ride?

Hey guys! Well, the airport transportation still hasn't been taken care of (haha surprise!) but I'll probably be able to book it tomorrow since now my mom and I have consulted both my sister and Col. Joy. That reminds me- how many people does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Oh well, at least I called and confirmed our Wishes cruise today. And it's on!

I'm getting a little worried b/c I still haven't been able to bust out the Christmas decorations. The reason for this is that my parents threw all the junk that had been living inside the house out into the garage during the remodel. So now the inside looks great but the garage is absolutely exploding w/ multiple mountain ranges of weird stuff. And one of the mountain ranges is blocking access to the Christmas decorations! Anyway, I was appalled at this so bought these amazing icicle lights at Michael's during their Black Friday sale. They fit perfectly on our stair landing railing! Before I reveal the icicles, here's a pic of Col. Joy surveying the house during the remodel:

Ugh- who wears sunglasses inside their house?

And here it is now!

Loki scheming about how to destroy the new icicles.

Loki chillin' out under the icicles.

Me annoying Loki.

Ok- so on to the bottom line of this post. Which rides should I ride? This is actually far more complicated than previously thought. Since I'm such a DL junkie there are actually some E-ticket rides and shows at WDW that I don't particularly find necessary. Especially since it'll for sure be crowded.

***Magic Kingdom:

ABSOLUTELY MUST RIDE:
-BTMR
-Country Bear Jamboree
-Liberty Square Riverboat
-Mickey's PhilharMagic
-Peter Pan's Flight
-POTC
-Splash Mtn (Don't want to get soaked though)
-Swiss Family Treehouse (The Swisses were evicted from DL!)
-Hall of Presidents
-Magic Carpets of Aladdin (Yup, I'm a dork for being super excited about this ride!)
-Winnie the Pooh
-Tom Sawyer Island (I insist upon finding a paintbrush!)
-TTA
-WDW Railroad
-Carousel of Progress (looking forward to this!)

MAYBE, IF WE HAVE TIME:
-Small World
-Dumbo
-Jungle Cruise
-Carrousel
-Tiki Room
-Tomorrowland Speedway (to pretend that I'm Danny Tanner)

WHATEVER:
-Astro Orbiter
-Mad Tea Party
-Goofy's Barnstormer

REFUSE TO RIDE:
-Buzz Lightyear (Germs!)
-Monster's, Inc. Laugh Floor (I don't really know any monster jokes!)
-Snow White's Scary Adventures (DL version freaks me out!)
-Space Mountain (I've heard the DL version is superior)
-Stitch's Great Escape! (Yucky!)
-Haunted Mansion (The WDW version isn't decorated for Xmas!)

***Epcot:

ABSOLUTELY MUST RIDE:
-American Adventure
-Journey Into Imagination w/ Figment (haha- super stoked about this!)
-Living w/ the Land
-Maelstrom
-Mission: SPACE
-Spaceship Earth
-Test Track (they're currently building this at CA Adv!)
-The Seas w/ Nemo & Friends
-must visit all the countries of course!

MAYBE, IF WE HAVE TIME:
-Circle of Life
-Ellen's Energy Adventure (apparently this is super long!)
-Gran Fiesta Tour
-Innoventions
-Soarin' (they have this at CA Adv- my Mom may want to ride it though)

WHATEVER:
-Captain EO (love it, but they have this at DL)

REFUSE TO RIDE:
-Kim Possible Adventure (germy cellphones!)

***Hollywood Studios:

ABSOLUTELY MUST RIDE:
-"Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" Movie Set Adventure
-Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
-Great Movie Ride
-Tower of Terror (um, do you have to ask???)
-Voyage of the Little Mermaid (they're building this at CA Adv!)
-Walt Disney: One Man's Dream

MAYBE, IF WE HAVE TIME:
-Beauty and the Beast show
-Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
-Star Tours (but it's being refurbished)
-Studio Backlot Tour
-American Film Institute Showcase
-Magic of Disney Animation
-Toy Story Mania! (I know, it's awesome- but they have it at CA Adv!)

WHATEVER:
-Muppet*Vision 3-D (they have this at CA Adv and my family will refuse!)
-Sounds Dangerous w/ Drew Carey

REFUSE TO RIDE:
-Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
-Playhouse Disney Live
-American Idol Experience (ugh)

***Animal Kingdom:

ABSOLUTELY MUST RIDE:
-Affection Section (gotta love them goats 'n' chickens!)
-Conservation Station
-Cretaceous Trail
-Dino-Sue
-DINOSAUR (super stoked about this!)
-Discovery Island Trails
-Expedition Everest (super duper stoked about this!)
-Habitat Habit!
-Kilimanjaro Safaris
-Maharajah Jungle Trek
-Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
-Oasis Exhibits
-Tree of Life
-Wildlife Express Train

MAYBE, IF WE HAVE TIME:
-Kali River Rapids (don't want to get soaked!)
-The Boneyard

WHATEVER:
-Fossil Fun Games
-TriceraTop Spin

REFUSE TO RIDE:
-It's Tough to be a Bug! (they have this at CA Adv, but it looks terrifying)
-Primeval Whirl

Obviously I'm pretty excited about visiting the Animal Kingdom! Anyway, that's that. Maybe you think I'm crazy for not adding TSM and Soarin' to the must do list but if the crowds are as bad as I'm anticipating, I'd be perfectly fine not riding them since their twins live at DL. Anyway I simply must get going since I have a busy day of cleaning the garage tomorrow!

See ya real soon!

 

[VBsHustla]

Your house and schedule both look brilliant!

Your MK ride list looks perfect. I agree almost completely, other than I would certainly take a spin or two on Buzz. I would also do the Indy Speedway, solely because I like reenacting Danny Tanner's every move.

As for Epcot, I implore you to see my two favorite shows: The Circle of Life (located in the Land, greatest thing ever) and the American Adventure. Everything else looks great, but beware of the Kim Possible adventure. I found it to be rather atrocious, and you also have to touch this disgusting cell phone that they give you, so I'm not sure you would approve. If you have time, you should totally go to Innoventions, so you can ride segways (they're still there last I saw!), make a video game, and design your own roller coaster. And of course pick up a Denard associate!

Your MGM list looks excellent, but you should really go on TSM! The indoor queue area is just so cute. The Beauty and the Beast show is also pretty great.

And I literally don't know what half of that stuff on the AK list is! But my one recommendation is insist on getting the last row on the safari. It's the greatest thing ever, you nearly fly right out of the ride! Are you going to the Nemo and Lion King shows?

 

[magichusky]

Your MK ride list looks perfect. I agree almost completely, other than I would certainly take a spin or two on Buzz. I would also do the Indy Speedway, solely because I like reenacting Danny Tanner's every move.

Excellent! I can't believe you like Buzz! I despise that stupid thing b/c I've gone on it maybe 3 times at DL and each time I got like 200 pts. Hahaha yes I forgot about that Danny Tanner scene on the speedway! I'll have to watch The House Meets the Mouse the night before departure for sure so I can reenact Steve's crash in the GF with the utmost precision.

As for Epcot, I implore you to see my two favorite shows: The Circle of Life (located in the Land, greatest thing ever) and the American Adventure. Everything else looks great, but beware of the Kim Possible adventure. I found it to be rather atrocious, and you also have to touch this disgusting cell phone that they give you, so I'm not sure you would approve. If you have time, you should totally go to Innoventions, so you can ride segways (they're still there last I saw!), make a video game, and design your own roller coaster. And of course pick up a Denard associate!

OMG I'll have to remove Kim Possible from the "maybe" list immediately! I would refuse to touch such a phone. I don't know what I was thinking. I've never heard of the Circle of Life? We'll be checking it out for sure! And the American Adventure of course! Hahaha that sounds like quite the patriotic attraction! Hopefully the segway course in Innoventions is longer than the one at DL! And we will surely create a California branch of Denard associates. My mom will just love it!

Your MGM list looks excellent, but you should really go on TSM! The indoor queue area is just so cute. The Beauty and the Beast show is also pretty great.

I'm hoping we can get to DHS at rope drop and just ride TSM in the morning when there's no queue due to everyone snatching FPs. And yes I was hoping to do the B&B show! Idk if we'll have enough time to see both Indy and B&B so we may have to just pick one.

And I literally don't know what half of that stuff on the AK list is! But my one recommendation is insist on getting the last row on the safari. It's the greatest thing ever, you nearly fly right out of the ride! Are you going to the Nemo and Lion King shows?

Hahaha that's ridiculous but judging from your TRs it doesn't seem like you spend much time in AK? Hahaha I will certainly request the back row in that case! I wasn't sure if they were still offering FOTLC b/c it wasn't listed in the park hours calendar but I just found it in the entertainment section. I've read total raving reviews about that one so I'd love to see it! I really think that there's NO chance that my mom and Heather would be able to sit through the Nemo show though. Plus my Dad's coming w/ us to the park that day! The rest of the days he'll be playing golf.

 

[VBsHustla]

OMG I'll have to remove Kim Possible from the "maybe" list immediately! I would refuse to touch such a phone. I don't know what I was thinking. I've never heard of the Circle of Life? We'll be checking it out for sure! And the American Adventure of course! Hahaha that sounds like quite the patriotic attraction! Hopefully the segway course in Innoventions is longer than the one at DL! And we will surely create a California branch of Denard associates. My mom will just love it!

The Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable is literally one of my top attractions in all of Disney World! I go specifically to Epcot to see it at least four times per trip. It's this weird film about the environment hosted by the Lion King characters, and it was made in the early-mid '90s so there are some beautiful DJ Tanner style ensembles featured throughout. Plus, there are many cute animal shots. I truly love it!

I'm hoping we can get to DHS at rope drop and just ride TSM in the morning when there's no queue due to everyone snatching FPs. And yes I was hoping to do the B&B show! Idk if we'll have enough time to see both Indy and B&B so we may have to just pick one.

That sounds like a great plan. I would agree, considering the TSM line will be outrageous. I would want to do it once, but certainly not worth waiting hours for when you can see things you can't get at DL.

Hahaha that's ridiculous but judging from your TRs it doesn't seem like you spend much time in AK? Hahaha I will certainly request the back row in that case! I wasn't sure if they were still offering FOTLC b/c it wasn't listed in the park hours calendar but I just found it in the entertainment section. I've read total raving reviews about that one so I'd love to see it! I really think that there's NO chance that my mom and Heather would be able to sit through the Nemo show though. Plus my Dad's coming w/ us to the park that day! The rest of the days he'll be playing golf.

Hahah yup, we hate the AK because it's too far and the buses just never come, animal captivity upsets me, and it's always too hot and crowded. I imagine the crazy heat shouldn't be a problem for you luckily! Everyone else def seems to love the FOTLC. Not surprisingly, I could not bring myself to love it. Oddly, I liked Nemo a lot better. But I'd probably rather go on rides than attend either! Actually, I'd rather just go to that great Conservation Station!

 

[magichusky]

The Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable is literally one of my top attractions in all of Disney World! I go specifically to Epcot to see it at least four times per trip.

Oh so that's the Environmental Fable thingy! Omg well that sounds extraordinary. I love ridiculous mid-90s productions so much. I'm absolutely craving Full House right now but it's on my apartment DVR and I'm at my house currently. I still haven't convinced my parents to get a DVR.

Hahah yup, we hate the AK because it's too far and the buses just never come, animal captivity upsets me, and it's always too hot and crowded. I imagine the crazy heat shouldn't be a problem for you luckily! Everyone else def seems to love the FOTLC. Not surprisingly, I could not bring myself to love it. Oddly, I liked Nemo a lot better. But I'd probably rather go on rides than attend either! Actually, I'd rather just go to that great Conservation Station!

I've def read on the DIS that AK is notoriously hot! You should really go visit the San Diego Zoo or the Wild Animal Park b/c the animal enclosures are super awesome. Those are the only zoos I've ever been to so the only time I ever get bothered by the animal captivity thing is when I visit Sea World. It's just impossible to build a big enough tank to suit a whale I think.

Hahaha I love how you dislike something that practically everyone simply raves and raves about! If I was solo I'd prob check out Nemo (as long as it's under 30 min!) but my family would totally hate it! And the conservation station is def one of my most highly anticipated attractions! Hopefully AK isn't crowded the day we visit b/c I will surely need to ride EE and Dinosaur multiple times!

 

[magichusky]

PART 6: My souvenirs, please.

Hi again! I just can't stay away. Today I was quite busy wrapping Christmas presents, baking Christmas cookies, and dressing up my unsuspecting dog for Christmas. Yes, I simply adore Christmas and can never quite get enough of it!

Anyway, I'm pretty stoked b/c I found the most perfect present for my 2 yro niece, Baby Lily. But first let me give you some background info so you can fully appreciate my discovery. My brother came to visit last week b/c he was attending a Health & Fitness convention in San Diego, and he told us the most wonderful story during dinner. Apparently B. Lily is going through a phase in which she particularly enjoys being left alone to play w/ her toys in solitude. She's also being potty-trained currently. One day my SIL, Sarah, went into B. Lily's room to check on her and B. Lily was so offended to be bothered! She was standing next to this wooden castle that my Mom had given her and declared: "Go awaaay, I'm pooping in the castle." Don't worry, she had her diaper on and apparently uses that excuse to be left alone. Anyway, I've been laughing about that for days. Hence, the perfect present:

And it was on sale for $14.99! Yes, I amaze myself sometimes. But I wasn't finished. I found this Princess puzzle at Michael's for $3:

Believe it or not, I STILL wasn't finished. During Halloween, I had a hankering to costume my dog, Loki, in something fabulous. Unfortunately nothing really comes in XXXL for 95 lb. dogs. No matter, I'll just buy him a headpiece:

He was a bit confused about the situation but thankfully still doesn't feel the need to avoid me or his new antlers.

So since I've been buying all these great gifts for everyone lately, I've decided that I should put together a list of WDW souvenirs that I require. Hopefully I won't get carried away:

-soft Tinker Bell doll (for B. Lily)
-WDW sweatshirt (my Mom wants this)
-stuffed Figment in Christmas attire (very important)
-Epcot passport
-An animal from Animales Fantasticos in Mexico
-A real wooden advent calendar from Germany (do they even have these?)
-A WDW dog license for Loki
-A WDW keychain (only if I find one I like)

I'm sure the animal wood carvings in Mexico are all a small fortune, but maybe I'll be able to find a nice tiny one! Check out this great site w/ a bunch of pics:

Disney Every Day: Animales Fantasticos Spirits in Wood Art at Epcot's Mexico Pavilion

And the reason we need a Tinker Bell doll:

Baby Lily dressed up as Tinker Bell this year for Halloween! Certainly this young love for Disney needs to be enforced. Next time I'll be talking about food, so don't read if you're hungry! The Disney Book Club section will have to wait until I drive back up to my apartment since that's where my collection is stashed.

See ya real soon!

 

[magichusky]

WEATHER ALERT!!!!

I've been checking the weather in sunny Florida and am becoming wildly concerned: yes, there is rain in the forecast for Saturday, Dec 18th. That day we'll be in AK, then Characters in Flight at DTD, and then... the Wishes cruise. If it rains, the animals won't be out, the Characters in Flight will be grounded, and our Wishes cruise will be canceled. The cruise that I called Disney for at 4am! What in the Disney World is up w/ this ridiculous trickery?? And why do people vacation in FL anyway? The weather is just terrible. WDW should be moved to CA at once. Then my Wishes cruise wouldn't be canceled. Well, at least I bought our ponchos at Target today.

 

[amazingact21]

WEATHER ALERT!!!!

I've been checking the weather in sunny Florida and am becoming wildly concerned: yes, there is rain in the forecast for Saturday, Dec 18th. That day we'll be in AK, then Characters in Flight at DTD, and then... the Wishes cruise. If it rains, the animals won't be out, the Characters in Flight will be grounded, and our Wishes cruise will be canceled. The cruise that I called Disney for at 4am! What in the Disney World is up w/ this ridiculous trickery?? And why do people vacation in FL anyway? The weather is just terrible. WDW should be moved to CA at once. Then my Wishes cruise wouldn't be canceled. Well, at least I bought our ponchos at Target today.

I know what you mean about the weather. I wanted to cry a little when I saw the 60% chance of rain on the 21st. That's our AK day and I don't want the weather to interfere.
Let's hope it all clears up by the 17th!

 

[UncleOrville]

Hello! I've made it over! First, I just read that the MVMCP on 12/19 is sold out, so that's one decision you don't have to worry about making. I would have advocated skipping it anyway, since you'll have the parade and fireworks for "free" later in the week, and there's not much more to the Christmas party than those things, as far as I understand. Apparently a few years ago there used to be additional shows, but they seem to have done away with most of them.

As far as the rain , it's definitely possible that it will shift to a day earlier or later, or just not happen at all. Orlando weather does suck, but, it is quite unpredictable, so there's a good chance it will change several days from now.