A Trip of Firsts! Sept 2011 PTR *UPDATE* 8/30 The Train is WHAT?!

[Ducky4Disney]

Jen glad to hear that CM is good. We are going there for the first time in Sept. I thought that it would be an exciting place for the grandaughters.

The closest the we ever got the CM was when DH & I had dinner at the old Contempory Steakhouse. A lot of funtimes could be heard during our dinner.

Nothing like a reply more than a month later , sorry about that. YES! CM is full of fun and characters, great for kids. I'm looking forward to seeing my kids have a blast there.

D4D

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Holy moly, where have I been? Oh yeah, reality. But I'm here now and I'll let you know what I've been up to these past... well, months.

SO! Remember when I said I wanted to have a third kid? As soon as DH gave me green light I got cold feet.... or a cold womb, and decided against it. Just that fast, I went from planning my pregnancy and thinking of names to what-the-heck-am-I-thinking? This is what I decided: we will survive as a family of 5, but we can do more as a family 4 (please forgive the rhyme, it just worked out that way). I can give my boys more; more of my time, my patience, and my resources. Having a third would just spread me too thin.

Instead I'm going to reapply to PA school. That's still what I want to do, and I know that now more than ever. Especially since I switched jobs .
That's right, I left St. Francis and went back to the big city - Philadelphia! I'm now at Hahnemann University Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Between learning the ropes at two new hospitals and teaching the guy taking my job I have been busy and exhausted. This week was my first full week at Jefferson and I worked, baby! I was exhausted and dehydrated yesterday; but it felt great

ONTO THE DISNEY PLANNING!

I have been stalking the Amtrak prices with no drop in fares so far. I have checked park hours as well and I don't think there's been any changes on the front. I almost forgot what my ADR's were, it's been so long since I looked at my schedule! Labor Day is WCC which the kids should enjoy. Milkshakes, BBQ, and silly servers!

On Tuesday it's one of DH's favorite places to eat - O'hana!

With fire-kissed-food-on-a-stick, can you blame him?

D4D

 

[stephielela]

Welcome back! Your trip is getting close! It's nice to get super busy, the time just flies by!

 

[KatMark]

Welcome back, we missed you. And don't worry...I neglected my PTR at times too (air conditioning problems, etc.).

Congrats on the new job and going back to school!

We have never been to Ohanas for dinner...I have to get it on the menu one of these days.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Welcome back, we missed you. And don't worry...I neglected my PTR at times too (air conditioning problems, etc.).

Congrats on the new job and going back to school!

We have never been to Ohanas for dinner...I have to get it on the menu one of these days.

Welcome back! Your trip is getting close! It's nice to get super busy, the time just flies by!

Thanks, it's good to be back! I never thought about how being busy and pulled away from trip planning would make the time fly; but it did! I feel I like have it all in order for now. It's a lot of hurry up and wait, then hurry up again. Once you book the trip there is a frenzy of activity to check park hours, look up special events, book your transport there, and make ADR's. After that is done you twiddle your thumbs until the trip gets really close. That's when things start to hurry up again.

I'm still in the twiddle my thumbs phase.

I have eaten at so many different places in WDW that my must-eat-at list is longer than the length of my trip. There are so few places that I've just thought "meh" about, and even fewer that i will outright never go back to that it makes it hard to decide. Meat on stick and coconut pineapple bread; 'nuf said.

D4D

 

[Ducky4Disney]

On several occasions, I have used the Disney Florist to deliver some magic to my friends staying at WDW. Their menu of magic has gotten a lot bigger, with options on both ends of the budget spectrum. For this trip, I've decided to order up some in-room magic!

They have something new called Mickey's Grand Welcome which looks awesome! It starts with a sash over the door and when you enter the room there's all kinds of surprises! This particular package includes a 22" plush Mickey and Minnie, a popcorn tub with an arrangement of crispy treats, an autograph book signed by MM, personalized blanket, and so much more! The pic they have on the website looks so exciting!

I'm going to customize it for two boys in order to limit the amount of fighting that takes place. There is also a Pirate Welcome Package that is "coming soon". When I called last month, they said it should roll out in July. It's July and it's not here. I am trying to wait patiently but it's not working . If we were staying in the Pirate rooms at CBR then the Pirate Welcome Package would be awesome. Since we're in the Nemo themed part, I think we can go either way. I guess I have to see the Pirate package before I make any decisions.

I can't wait to make this happen!

D4D

Hold that thought! I was perusing the rest of the DIS looking for pics of this in-room celebration and someone did something fabulous - they made their own! Can you imagine? Doing something yourself? That might be fun. Picking out items, putting it all together, and then I can ship it to the resort the week before, or just pack it in the car.

I will have to investigate further... this could be fun!

 

[KatMark]

On several occasions, I have used the Disney Florist to deliver some magic to my friends staying at WDW. Their menu of magic has gotten a lot bigger, with options on both ends of the budget spectrum. For this trip, I've decided to order up some in-room magic!

They have something new called Mickey's Grand Welcome which looks awesome! It starts with a sash over the door and when you enter the room there's all kinds of surprises! This particular package includes a 22" plush Mickey and Minnie, a popcorn tub with an arrangement of crispy treats, an autograph book signed by MM, personalized blanket, and so much more! The pic they have on the website looks so exciting!

I'm going to customize it for two boys in order to limit the amount of fighting that takes place. There is also a Pirate Welcome Package that is "coming soon". When I called last month, they said it should roll out in July. It's July and it's not here. I am trying to wait patiently but it's not working . If we were staying in the Pirate rooms at CBR then the Pirate Welcome Package would be awesome. Since we're in the Nemo themed part, I think we can go either way. I guess I have to see the Pirate package before I make any decisions.

I can't wait to make this happen!

D4D

Hold that thought! I was perusing the rest of the DIS looking for pics of this in-room celebration and someone did something fabulous - they made their own! Can you imagine? Doing something yourself? That might be fun. Picking out items, putting it all together, and then I can ship it to the resort the week before, or just pack it in the car.

I will have to investigate further... this could be fun!

They didn't have these things until AFTER our kids were grown, but they look like so much fun. Doing something on your own might be cheaper in the long run.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Oh Jen, great to see you back! I need to get my planning in gear also. We have the same amount of time left before we leave for CBR.

Congrats on the new job, you see really excited which is a good sign!

I wanted another child after having 4, but I realized that 4 was quite enough!

Now on with your PTR!

Doris
PS- Maybe a Dis meet with Karin & you?!

 

[Ducky4Disney]

They didn't have these things until AFTER our kids were grown, but they look like so much fun. Doing something on your own might be cheaper in the long run.

I know the DF package is going to be pricey but someone else does all the work, which is worth something. I know there are going to be things unique to the DF that I will get with it too.

If I do it myself it will either be cheaper or I will be able to get more things for the same price. There will be some things that I just won't be able to replicate and I have to coordinate the whole shebang.

Oh Jen, great to see you back! I need to get my planning in gear also. We have the same amount of time left before we leave for CBR.

Congrats on the new job, you see really excited which is a good sign!

I wanted another child after having 4, but I realized that 4 was quite enough!

Now on with your PTR!

Doris
PS- Maybe a Dis meet with Karin & you?!

We are close, aren't we! Things are starting to ramp back up in the planning department. This in-room magic idea has me doing all kind of searching for possible items to include and how far I want to take it. Looking at the Disney Store site though, I don't see whole lot there that interests me. Wonder why that is?

I'd love a DIS meet!

D4D

 

[Ducky4Disney]

I can feel the Magic from here! 36 days and counting down rapidly! Even DH is starting to get excited. We're both looking forward to experiencing WDW with our 2 boys, that's the magical part. WDW through the eyes of a child is a whole new way of seeing things!

I am still deciding whether I should order the in-room Magical Celebration or make one myself. I'll admit that I talk a big game about doing-it-myself but I don't see this happening. I'm just not that type of person . I'd rather order it and have the Dream Makers put it together because I would just stress over what to get, how to hide it, how to get it there, when to put it up... I don't need that kind of stress while planning a vacation!

I did order some trading pins and they arrived! I'm going to get a lanyard for AJ and let him do some trading. I remember back when there were real mystery pins and special pins. Now it seems that every pin is "special" which makes it hard for me to want to trade. I think I'll focus on trading for Vinylmation pins this trip. I especially want to find the 3D Vinylamation pin of the Colonel from the Adventurer's Club!

Isn't he CUTE!

I'm still stalking Amtrak's website but there's been no changes thus far. I still have time.

Let's see... what else...

Oh yeah. I'm thinking that AJ is a good age to enjoy DQ and could be a fun thing to do in the evenings if we aren't going back to a park. I could've swore they used to do ticket specials like PI did; buy 4 admissions for the price of 2, or buy 4 days and get 7, that kind of thing. It doesn't look like they do that anymore. They have single day admissions and AP's.

Single admission: Adult $43, Child $37.
AP Price: Adult $89, Child $71.

You do the math. If you're going more than once during your trip, get the AP (obviously). Which got me to thinking about that Water Park Fun & More option. That would give us one admission to DQ or a water park for every day of our park tickets. A 6-day MYW ticket is $259. Add the WPF&M option and it's $314; a $55 difference. Again, I'm not a math major but it looks like that is a pretty good deal. I'll get 6 admissions to DQ with that or we can go to a water park! I'll have to contact my AAA travel agent and have that added.

I'm even starting to shop for the trip! We used to have Brita filtered sports bottles but they stopped making them. I tried a different brand but they weren't very well made and the filters didn't stay in place. I moved on to the Fit'N Sure brand bottle and it worked ok. My first one leaked like crazy so they replaced it and my next one worked better but not as nice as my Brita bottle. Just the other night I saw a commercial for the *new* Brita bottle! Yippee! I went online to get it and while shopping I see that there is also a filtered bottle made by Rubbermaid. I have choices! Which isn't always a good thing for me. I fret over things like this and they eventually make me crazy. I'm leaning towards the Rubbermaid bottle, but I'm still not sure.

Anyone use either bottle?

D4D

 

[stephielela]

Yay! You are so close!! The in room celebrations look awesome! I know they have a Halloween one I wanted to get, but it was $375 and it's just NOT going to happen. We will bring some Halloween decorations from home instead. I have only ever used the Bobble, which they sell at Target now (when I wanted it they were ahrd to find). It works fine for what it is, we onlye ver use it on trips and haven't had any issues.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Yay! You are so close!! The in room celebrations look awesome! I know they have a Halloween one I wanted to get, but it was $375 and it's just NOT going to happen. We will bring some Halloween decorations from home instead. I have only ever used the Bobble, which they sell at Target now (when I wanted it they were ahrd to find). It works fine for what it is, we onlye ver use it on trips and haven't had any issues.

The in-room celebration is pricey, and I'm sure once I outfit the package for two kids it will cost even more, but I think I'm going to splurge and go for it. I like the concept of doing it myself but I would drive myself mad! Here is how crazy I get over the small stuff: I have been looking through pages of reviews of the different water bottles and still haven't made a choice! Some claim that this one leaks, that one feels cheap and mushy, you have to squeeze too hard, it smells badly of plastic, this one needs a cap, that one has a cap that is unnecessary... it goes on and on! At some point I start looking at it statistically; how many reviews are there for each bottle? How many are under 4 stars? Of those, how many can you discard for the user being an idiot? Are the negative reviews statistically sginificant considering the n for that bottle? ARG! I just found aa old Brita bottle upstairs and I'm wondering if the new filters will fit this bottle. Something else for me to research!

D4D

 

[stephielela]

The in-room celebration is pricey, and I'm sure once I outfit the package for two kids it will cost even more, but I think I'm going to splurge and go for it. I like the concept of doing it myself but I would drive myself mad! Here is how crazy I get over the small stuff: I have been looking through pages of reviews of the different water bottles and still haven't made a choice! Some claim that this one leaks, that one feels cheap and mushy, you have to squeeze too hard, it smells badly of plastic, this one needs a cap, that one has a cap that is unnecessary... it goes on and on! At some point I start looking at it statistically; how many reviews are there for each bottle? How many are under 4 stars? Of those, how many can you discard for the user being an idiot? Are the negative reviews statistically sginificant considering the n for that bottle? ARG! I just found aa old Brita bottle upstairs and I'm wondering if the new filters will fit this bottle. Something else for me to research!

D4D

you are too funny! I know what you mean about obsessing over the small things. I definitely want to to do an in room celebration on our next trip, which won't be for a while (though I already have basic plans). This trip was supposed to be a cheap trip, and I am already spending $ on things I shouldn't be (of course, it's Disney!)

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Oh yeah! Oh yeah!



30 DAYS TO GO!

I can't believe it. I leave for WDW *THIS* month! The thumb twiddling is almost over and I'm starting to ramp up my Disney-brain by looking at park maps, checking what's under refurb, and I'm still stalking the Amtrak site!

I forsee this trip being very different for us. I don't think there's going to be a lot of park time and a lot more resort time. The plan is to hit the parks at opening, get lunch, resort nap, pool time, then dinner, and whatever else we decide. Going back to the park is an option but I just don't think we'll be up to it after a full day. To fill our evenings I think we'll spend tme in DTD and get the Fun options added to our tickets so we can go to DQ.

I think I have a last day plan too!

And as I am typing this it changed . Just the other day I was looking at park hours for the water parks and I learned that they have EMH too. BB had EMH on Thursday morning, the day we leave, so I was thinking that we could go to BB on our last day since we don't have to be at the train station until 2:00 and it only take about an hour to get there. BB hours were 9-6 with an open time of 8 for EMH. I figured we could do 8-12-ish at BB then head out to the train station. I just checked the hours for Sept and they're now 10-5 with no EMH at all! I swear I was looking at the right month! Grrr.... that ticks me off. Now I have to come up with another plan. And stalk the park hours some more.

D4D

30 day dancing still!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm still here, and have somehow missed your updates lately!

The Mickey's Grand Welcome looks AWESOME!! What a great way to kick-start the trip!

Sorry to hear about the ever-shifting park hours. It drives me bonkers how Disney seems to do that, without fail, just weeks before. I understand why - but just as we get all our plans set....

for THIS MONTH! (me too!)

 

[Ducky4Disney]

I'm still here, and have somehow missed your updates lately!

The Mickey's Grand Welcome looks AWESOME!! What a great way to kick-start the trip!

Sorry to hear about the ever-shifting park hours. It drives me bonkers how Disney seems to do that, without fail, just weeks before. I understand why - but just as we get all our plans set....

for THIS MONTH! (me too!)

Sometimes I wonder if I'm "still here", my updates dwindled and then I realized I didn't have a lot to say! I'm not sure I'll do an actual TR for this. I loved the TR I did with MEK, but I think it was more her magic that made it great, not mine We'll see...

The only thing I can think of it that I looked at August and not September but I swear I changed the month when I opened the calendar! I was so happy with the EMH-at-BB-Last-Day-Idea; now I don't know what to do.

Grumble grumble...

D4D

 

[Ducky4Disney]

We got MICKEY MAIL! I love getting mail from WDW, it means we are getting CLOSE! This is the first time I've booked a trip through AAA in years and it's been great service so far. They sent us a fabulous booklet that has all kinds of vouchers. A voucher for a round of mini-golf, a voucher for 100 points (?) at the resort arcade, and we're doing the memory package so I get a free 20 page Photo Pass book! That is going to AWESOME! I've made a few books through Shutterfly and I'm excited to make one for this trip with WDW flair.

Here's my big WDW book; and it doesn't include all of our trips!
WDW Volume I - 2000-2005

This reminds me, I need to make one for my Sept trip to BLT with MEK. Oh man was that fun. We have to do that again!

No changes on the Amtrak front and the hours for the water parks are now 10-5 with no EMH at all; boo. I need to add the Water Park/Fun option to our MYW tickets and I'm still checking out the in-room celebration options. The "Me Pirate Celebration" is still listed as coming soon and I'm not sure I can wait for it much longer.

Can I be selfish for a moment? Of couse I can, it's my post but bear with me please. I have this little fantasy in my head that we get upgraded. I've been dreaming in my head that when we get there they know that it's our 10th anniversary and our youngest son's first trip. I know upgrades happen and are rare (when you consider how many people check in every day compared to how many get upgrades) but do you think if I use the early check-in feature it will hurt my chances of an upgrade? I'm not expecting an upgrade and will be perfectly happy to stay where I purchased a room; I'm quite excited about CBR in fact. But I don't think I'd turn down a little check-in pixie dust!

I'll let you know what I decide when it comes to the in-room celebration package. And I've also seen ads for the Pirate's League where my boys can be "transformed" into Pirates! They have been watching a lot of Jake and the Neverland Pirates.... I'll have to investigate further.

D4D

 

[MEK]

Jen - I am so glad to see you are still working on your PTR and I can tell how excited you are. I really wish I was using my AP one more time before it expires. Oh well. It's just not meant to be this year.

Denny, Nick, and I are tentatively planning a long weekend getaway to Williamsburg. That, of course, will mean Busch Gardens. I am just so afraid I will be disappointed. But all is tentative.

I think the Pirates league would be so cool for your kids. I would think they are at the perfect age.

Now - don't forget that there WILL be and F&W trip for 2012. On second thought - if you do decide to go to PA school next year, forget I mentioned it. But if you don't. I am 100% certain I am going unless something catastrophic happens.

I think it might be hard to do a WP on your last day. Packing and all that. Can you work it in somewhere sooner????? Then take a resort break and then go into the parks.

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Jen - I am so glad to see you are still working on your PTR and I can tell how excited you are. I really wish I was using my AP one more time before it expires. Oh well. It's just not meant to be this year.

Denny, Nick, and I are tentatively planning a long weekend getaway to Williamsburg. That, of course, will mean Busch Gardens. I am just so afraid I will be disappointed. But all is tentative.

I think the Pirates league would be so cool for your kids. I would think they are at the perfect age.

Now - don't forget that there WILL be and F&W trip for 2012. On second thought - if you do decide to go to PA school next year, forget I mentioned it. But if you don't. I am 100% certain I am going unless something catastrophic happens.

I think it might be hard to do a WP on your last day. Packing and all that. Can you work it in somewhere sooner????? Then take a resort break and then go into the parks.

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

I'm hacking away at this PTR. They're harder than I originally thought, that's for sure. I have no one to geek out with at work anymore about my trip so I'm doing it here. It's good, but not the same.

Williamsburg sounds like fun! You have to remember that it's not Disney and it's not going to be like Disney, but that's ok! It's a different kind of trip. It's a non-Disney trip. People do it all the time... so I hear.

Allen is the right age for the Pirates League and Thomas has to do everything his big brother does, so there's that. I asked him today if I thought pirates were cool and if he'd like to be one. He was not enthused. He s aid he'd rather fly a jet called a Blue Angel. Go figure. I'll keep asking him and talk about it some more with him as the trip approaches.

Oooo... the F&W trip in 2012! I would LOVE to go! I will have to find a way to make that work. Do we have tenative dates yet? Keep me posted on that!

A WP on the last day would be tough, but if it opened at 8 we could go from 8 to 11 before we start getting ready to make our way to the train station. We don't have to be at the train station until 2 in the afternoon and it's about 45 min away. Plenty of time to dry off! Alas... that is not going to work out. We could do DQ that morning, that's an option. Now I have to check their operating hours...

Glad to see you here, Mary Ellen! I miss you!

D4D

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Denny, Nick, and I are tentatively planning a long weekend getaway to Williamsburg. That, of course, will mean Busch Gardens. I am just so afraid I will be disappointed. But all is tentative.

MEK that is one of our favorite places! The mecca for reenactors, we did dress up 18th century fashion there & go to dinner for our anniversary. We are due to go again.