5 days on $1300!?! Did we do it? - a July 2011 TR - update 2/15: Link to new PTR!

[ksl5f123]

Wow, that was an expensive day! It was probably tough to stay on budget after that.

Your condo looks great. I am really starting to question if staying onsite will be for us in the future. I really liked the 2 bedroom unit we had offsite in 2010 and the cost was a fraction of Disney rates.

Yeah, I had expected all of the costs except for the extra $20 at Chef Mickey's. That threw me a little bit.

The condo was wonderful. We all loved having all of the space. It was so nice to put the girls to bed and then be able to do whatever I wanted without having to keep the lights off. The girls loved each having their own bed. They keep each other awake a lot longer when we are in a hotel room where they have to share.

 

[ksl5f123]

After a good night's sleep, we got up the next morning bright and early. We all got dressed in our matching Toy Story shirts that I made with matching skirts for the girls. We sat down for breakfast and ….realized we forgot to go to the grocery and buy milk. So, after a quick breakfast of dry cereal (yuck) we were on our way. If you read my PTR, you know that I had a huge debate of AK or DHS on this day. In the end, we decided to go with DHS.

Before we left, I read all of the instructions on here about the Sherbeth road shortcut from Windsor Hills onto Disney property. However, with my experience of trying to get to the MK the day before, I decided to stick to the main roads. We were at DHS in under 10 minutes!!!!!!!! I am not sure we get there that fast when we stay on-property.

As you can see, there were only a few cars that beat us into the parking lot that morning. This picture is taken at 8:01 AM.

We jumped on the tram

And 5 minutes later found ourselves here

You can see that there are quite a few people already at the turnstyles. We found a line where we were in the shade with about 2-3 families in front of us. We spent our time playing 20 questions (Disney character version). And soon it was time to head up to the rope. We were not as fast as the rest of the crowd and were about 3-4 rows back from the rope. But, we were close enough that this time the girls could see the little opening show which was well-acted that morning. Soon we were off!

Now that we have done the Toy Story Dash a few times, I had my strategy down. Since we didn't have a fastpass volunteer, our plan was to just get in the standby line. I took both girls by the hands and we “walked with purpose” along with the crowd. DD5 reminded me that she doesn't like walking fast and I promised her (again) that this was the only time all day I would ask her to move quickly.

I now knew that we needed to go through the bigger entrance, not the smaller one when you make the left turn. I also knew to stay to the right after making that turn. Apparently, a lot of the crowd this morning didn't know that and as we headed into Pixar Place we were at the front of the pack!!!! I only had a split second to decide if we wanted to change our plan and get fastpasses or stick to the plan and get in the standby line. I HATE making split second decisions, so we just stuck to the plan.

The standby line at 9:01 AM!!!

That last picture was taken at 9:06. By 9:10 AM we were on the ride. I rode with DD5 and DD7 rode on the other side of our car. We all did pretty well (by our standards).

Our next goal was the 9:40 Disney Junior show, but it was now only 9:15 AM. We need to fill some time! What will we do while we wait?

 

[lbuzz52]

I HATE escalators and that day didn't really serve to improve my opinion.

I am so happy that DD7 was just "blowing smoke" about the characters. I was having to bite my tongue to keep it from lashing out at her while we were waiting.

I had noticed the new nightgowns at the Disneystore, so I guess Disney doesn't mind if my kid walks around in jammies. They seem to sell out of all the Rapunzel stuff so fast. You would think they would figure out that she is really popular right now and order more.

i would have been nervous too. i don't go on escalators when there are more kids then adults. they scare me a bit.

rapunzel items drive me nuts. it took everything in me to talkdd out of rapunzel for halloween. as fast as it all sells out, i'm sure they will be everywhere.

wow, one of the first on TSMM! awesome! did you grab FP afterwards?

i'm not feeling very hopeful for your budget!

 

[TinksThree]

The condo looks pretty nice! And that is cool that a stroller was there "just in case"!

You had so much better luck with TSMM than we did! That makes me very, very !!! You have the same strategy as me but on our DHS day luck just wasn't our friend!! That is amazing that by 9:15 you were already finished with TSMM and ready to move on!!

 

[pinkxray]

Awesome job with TSM! I can't believe you were done by 9:15. You don't mess around

We have never done the TSM rope drop run. In 2010 we had the fast passes from the Give a Day promotion and we just skipped in this year. We will have to follow your plan if we ever make it back.

I'm surprised you even had to take the tram to get to the entrance. I would think you would be right at the entrance based on your picture.

 

[ksl5f123]

i would have been nervous too. i don't go on escalators when there are more kids then adults. they scare me a bit.

rapunzel items drive me nuts. it took everything in me to talkdd out of rapunzel for halloween. as fast as it all sells out, i'm sure they will be everywhere.

wow, one of the first on TSMM! awesome! did you grab FP afterwards?

i'm not feeling very hopeful for your budget!

I hate escalators. I should have known better and gone straight to the elevator. Lesson learned.

I don't know what it is with Rapunzel stuff. Clearly there is a lot of demand. You would think that by now (a full year after the movie came out) that they would realize this and up the quantities they order. You are probably right about Rapunzel being a popular costume this year. Luckily DD5 wants to wear her outfit from the China pavilion in Epcot for Halloween.

We couldn't believe we were at the front of the pack for TSMM. By the time we got out, the fastpass line was LONG!!

Yeah, it was a rough day on the budget.

 

[ksl5f123]

The condo looks pretty nice! And that is cool that a stroller was there "just in case"!

You had so much better luck with TSMM than we did! That makes me very, very !!! You have the same strategy as me but on our DHS day luck just wasn't our friend!! That is amazing that by 9:15 you were already finished with TSMM and ready to move on!!

I assumed that we would be pretty far back in the pack and that is why my original plan didn't include getting fastpasses. We were definately having good luck that morning!

 

[ksl5f123]

Awesome job with TSM! I can't believe you were done by 9:15. You don't mess around

We have never done the TSM rope drop run. In 2010 we had the fast passes from the Give a Day promotion and we just skipped in this year. We will have to follow your plan if we ever make it back.

I'm surprised you even had to take the tram to get to the entrance. I would think you would be right at the entrance based on your picture.

Like I told DD5, that was the only time I wanted to move out all day. Ater that we could meander all she wanted.

Those GAD fastpasses were awesome. I hope they do something like that again in the future.

We probably didn't *need* to take the tram, but there was no reason to wear out little legs so early in the morning.

 

[Tuney]

Hey there....

when will you be posting your next chapter?

 

[ksl5f123]

Hey there....

when will you be posting your next chapter?

Right now! Thanks for reading along!

 

[ksl5f123]

So, what did we do while we waited? Well, I thought about getting a set of fastpasses for TSMM, but at this point you couldn't even see the end of the line. While we were standing there thinking, a CM commented on our matching outfits. The girls proudly stated that I had made their skirts and the matching shirts. The CM said, “What?! No skirt for mommy?” I told her I think there is a point where one ages out of ruffles. At this point, a random guest interrupted to mention that she also liked the matching outfits. My advice: If you want to be noticed at DHS wear custom Toy Story outfits.

Then the CM said, “Since you have on your Toy Story outfits, you really ought to come in and meet Buzz and Woody. This is the shortest their line will be all day.” Now, I thought that Buzz and Woody's meet & greet didn't start until 10 AM, but they were ready to go at 9:15! So, we walked on in with only about 3 families in front of us.

This was our first time in this meet and greet area. It is SO CUTE!!

Oh, no! Zurg is going to get you!

We were leaving Buzz and Woody by 9:30 and walked right down and into the Disney Junior show. As we walked to the Animation courtyard, I pointed out to the girls how long the line was for TSMM now. The standby was 90 minutes and the line for fastpasses was probably 200 yards!

 

[teekathepony]

Gorgeous condo! Loving all those pictures, great updates!

 

[ksl5f123]

Apparently, the Disney Junior show wasn't a very big priority for most people that morning because we arrived only 5 minutes before it was supposed to start and we still got a front row seat!

Little Einsteins!

Jake and the Neverland Pirates!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

It was now about 9:55 AM. We had one more goal for the morning – the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground (before it got too hot!). As we walked past TSMM, there was no longer a line for fastpasses. So, we grabbed a set with a 3:20 return time. If you think about it, that isn't really that bad for TSMM fastpasses pulled at 10 AM! On our DHS day in June 2010, the fastpasses were gone by 10 AM. Touringplans says this day was an 8.1, but I thought the park seemed pretty empty.

In fact, when we arrived at the HISTK playground, there was NOBODY around. I actually asked a CM if it was open because there were no people anywhere in the area. They said it was and we had the playground to ourselves for about 20 minutes!

This slide is SO CUTE!

After sliding, the girls went off climbing through all of the tunnels. I couldn't see them for at least 5 minutes. Luckily, my girls can't resist chattering with each other, so even though I couldn't see them, I could hear them. If it had been busy in there I probably wouldn't have been able to hear them and I would have been much more nervous. Instead, I just took some “atmosphere” pictures.

Then we decided to climb through the big rope thing. The girls were worried about it so I went with them the first time. Here they are at the top:

After one time through with mom, they were more than happy to do it again without me!

Back to the tunnels

and the slide

Can you even imagine how hot that must get in the afternoon? You can see the sun directly on it. It was 93 degrees that day!

Time to ride the ant!

Found some more tunnels

We spent almost an hour in the HISTK playground. But now, it was time for our break. We stopped for these on the way out:

OK, full disclosure – we stopped for those pictures because we were lost again. We just wanted to ask the photographer how to get back to the front gates, but since he wasn't doing anything else we got some pictures too.

By 11 AM, we were on our way back to the condo for some lunch. We ate and then went to the pool for about 90 minutes. What a difference a year makes! Last year, DD5 (then DD4) kept her princess hair for 9 days. Back then, she didn't put her face in the water when we went swimming. Now, she is a full-fledged swimmer and princess hair didn't quite survive the pool. While we didn't take it out, you will see it slowly coming apart for the rest of the trip.

After swimming, we stopped in the little convenience store next to the pool and bought some really overpriced milk ($3 for a ½ gallon! ). Usually, I wouldn't pay that ridiculous of a price, but it was becoming clear to me that we were never going to make a run to a big box store, so I might as well just get some and not have dry cereal again the rest of the week.

After getting cleaned up, we headed back to DHS arriving at 2:45 PM.

 

[ksl5f123]

Gorgeous condo! Loving all those pictures, great updates!

We had never rented a condo before and that one was REALLY nice. It had everything we needed - including a great price!

 

[TinksThree]

First I think you are just trying to rub it in that Touringplans gave you an 8.1 and it felt slower while I had a 6.1 and it was a NIGHTMARE!!!!

Love the pictures with Buzz and Woody!! I love Woody!

I think it is hilarious that you got the pictures in Streets of America due to needing directions! I think our DHS stories are correlating so well...

The HISTK play area is fun even for adults for those atmosphere pics (unless a lot of kids get in my way! LOL).

I think you return time is pretty awesome for TSMM since it was 10am. Fastpasses go so fast for that ride!

 

[lbuzz52]

you guys have really got your schedule down pat. i can't believe all you did, plus breaktime and swimming, by 2:30

 

[alabamagirl]

Enjoying your TR! I'm in the process of planning a budget Disney trip for December. I love the idea of a girls trip! Can't wait to read more.

 

[ksl5f123]

First I think you are just trying to rub it in that Touringplans gave you an 8.1 and it felt slower while I had a 6.1 and it was a NIGHTMARE!!!!

Love the pictures with Buzz and Woody!! I love Woody!

I think it is hilarious that you got the pictures in Streets of America due to needing directions! I think our DHS stories are correlating so well...

The HISTK play area is fun even for adults for those atmosphere pics (unless a lot of kids get in my way! LOL).

I think you return time is pretty awesome for TSMM since it was 10am. Fastpasses go so fast for that ride!

I'm not trying to rub it in but I am thinking that sometimes those numbers don't mean quite as much as we want them to.

Buzz and Woody were awesome and the theming in that area is GREAT!

Yep, I need a big roadsign right next to Miss Piggy that says "EXIT THIS WAY"!

A lot of people complain about losing their kids in the HISTK playground and now I totally understand. They get back in those tunnels and there is no way you can see them. I am glad it was empty that morning.

I couldn't believe there were even fastpasses left. I was sure they would be gone.

 

[ksl5f123]

you guys have really got your schedule down pat. i can't believe all you did, plus breaktime and swimming, by 2:30

We aren't a commando family, but I am a little bit of a Disney taskmaster. This is the plan - stick to the plan and nobody gets hurt.

 

[ksl5f123]

Enjoying your TR! I'm in the process of planning a budget Disney trip for December. I love the idea of a girls trip! Can't wait to read more.

Welcome! I enjoyed planning a budget trip. It added an extra challenge of trying to get the most for my money.

I am so glad we did the girls trip. It was great to have that much time with my girls.