Adulting is Hard, So I'm Running Away! ~ An Oct 2016 PTR ~ Update 10/19: Peace Out, Yo!

[SarahDisney]

Long time, no ME! I know! Sorry for dropping off the grid. At work, things have been SO busy, and at home, my new Kindle has been SO distracting! Books, glorious books! I'mma nerd-out for a moment, as I just finished two really good trilogies back-to-back...

What are these book things? There is no existence outside the DIS!

So when I did my itinerary for this upcoming October 2016 trip, I used the same method, and planned it all out using the 2015 park hours for that month. So yesterday, the real October park hours for this year were finally released... AND EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT. I ended up have to re-do my entire itinerary... Literally. I wiped it clean and started over from scratch. The only thing that survived was my ADR wishlist, but all the dates/times had to be re-assigned. All told, it ended up bring like a two-hour project!

Seriously ... what is up with that? Disney's been going crazy lately! Completely changing the hours from year to year ... not cool!

7. Let me know if ya'll notice any anomalies or faux pas that I've overlooked! I keep going over and over it, expecting to find some sort of catastrophe waiting to happen...

The only thing I can think of is only having an hour scheduled for Trader Sam's. If there's minimal (or no) wait, which will probably be the case right when it opens, you'll be fine, but if you have to wait, that might not be enough and you'll be arriving at Epcot later than expected.
Other than that, though ... everything looks great!

And finally, just one quick little fitness update... Still not making any progress on the walking speed (in fact, I keep bailing out on the treadmill more and more lately... bad Billie!), but I have lost 35 lbs since January 1st. So that's a victory, at least!

Yay for the 35 lbs, but ... GET BACK ON THE TREADMILL! NO SKIPPING THE TREADMILL!!!
Skipping the treadmill is not allowed.
Seriously ... if I could run 9+ miles yesterday in 30-something degree weather, you can do some walking on the indoor treadmill.*
*Note: I do not recommend running 9+ miles in 30-something degree weather. My throat hurt for the rest of the day from breathing cold air for 2 hours.
(That's right, I'm bringing the peer pressure/bullying here ... but I'm not doing it to be mean, I'm doing it because I believe in you and I know you can do it!)

Thanks for still being here, despite my gross neglect of all your threads! I love ya'll still, I promise! I just need more hours in the day!

Don't worry, I'm not offended. I know I'm boring

 

[kastoney]

Park Hours, 35 pounds, and books!!!!!! Neglect us all you want, sounds like things are going splendid for you

Can't add too much in the books department, because thanks to all those books the public school system made me read I never got pleasure out of it except for a trashy celebrity tell all at the beach ; ) Sounds like you are really enjoying the kindle though.

I had no idea there was so much fluidity in park hours year in and year out. I would have thought them to be pretty similar. Of course I'm also the person who has no idea what the park hours are for our trip next month. But it looks like ya got everything all spreadsheeted out!!!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I like your schedule. When we stayed at the Beach Club last month we didn't go to MK until day four.

After the NIGHTMARE crowds at MK on EMH night in December, this time I took special care to avoid evening EMH there, and go the following morning (since the theory is that the morning after an EMH night at a park is particularly dead because so many people were just there the night before).

We went to MK on the morning after the park had very late hours, and it was dead until around 11am. We also hit some nightmare crowds at MK when we were there in Dec 2014. In fact, we were in Liberty Square waiting for the MSEP and the crowds were packed in like sardines.

 

[ariane37]

We've had many trips where we don't hit MK until our 3rd day, but we always go there our last day And in my preliminary planning for our Nov. trip (which is so far all in my head lol) we're once again not going to MK until at least our 2nd day if not our 3rd, so I think your schedule looks fine!

35 lbs., woo-hoo!!!

I LOVE reading. Stephen King is my favorite author I used to go through a book or two a week - and then I found the Dis

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[pigletgirl]

No Universal this time around?

 

[Pluto0809]

Jumped over here from Mo's TR. I decided not to try to catch up from the beginning and I'm glad I didn't since you had to change everything around anyways.

I think your plans look great! I really love the color coding on the spreadsheet. I may have to steal that idea for my next trip whenever that might be.

 

[Rozz]

Thanks for the update! Congratulations on losing 35 lbs; that is fantastic!
I understand about the binge reading. I read daily. Currently reading free Kindle book that's pretty good. It's a mystery/crime solving storyline.
The new schedule looks good. I agree with SarahDisney; may need more time for Trader Sam's.
Looking forward to next update!

 

[Elevationist]

Your plans look great, I wish they'd officially release the MNSSHP dates as I need to know for early September

It's pretty easy to guestimate... Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Some Fridays. And just by looks at the released park hours, the nights that MK is closing at 7pm are obviously expected to be party nights. But it's not the same as KNOWING and having the official scheduled in-hand, you know?

Congrats on losing 35 pounds, that's 2 and a half stone in my language which is absolutely amazing. Persevere with the tread mill

Thanks! I need to get excited for the treadmill again, I know!

Totally butting in but I loved this book too

I downloaded it to my Kindle last night! I think I'm going to start it tonight or tomorrow!

So much yes. This is exactly where I'm at right now.

Frustrating, isn't it?!

I think we're going to leave our MNSSHP night as the 25th. I've heard Thursdays are the worst, followed by Sundays. I think I got spoiled by the low crowds last time.

I heard Friday is the worst! Then Thursday, then Sunday. Regardless, as much as I would prefer to go on Tuesday, I just can't miss my late-night Epcot! I love it so much! So Sunday will have to do for the party!

I really liked the Ephemera series, too! Though I think I still need to read the last of them...oops. I'm behind on all my authors And I think the Others is an interesting take on the whole werewolf/supernatural thing, and that's from someone who reads a lot of it! It might not be for you, but I think the kindle versions are pretty affordable so if you don't like them, it's not like it's a huge investment. I actually need to get hard copies - those are the only books of hers I don't have in a physical form. And now I'm sitting here wanting to re-read Black Jewels. So good!

Oh, I already have all of The Others books (including the fourth one that just was released a couple weeks ago) downloaded to my Kindle. It's just a matter of starting them. I think next I'm going to read the book that @cinderkelly and @ALEXandFAB recommended above (The Night Circus), then after that I'm thinking I'll dive into The Others. Also, I too am considering a full Black Jewels re-read once I run out of new stuff!

What are these book things? There is no existence outside the DIS!

Liiiiies!

Seriously ... what is up with that? Disney's been going crazy lately! Completely changing the hours from year to year ... not cool!

I know, right? HOW DARE THEY!!!

The only thing I can think of is only having an hour scheduled for Trader Sam's. If there's minimal (or no) wait, which will probably be the case right when it opens, you'll be fine, but if you have to wait, that might not be enough and you'll be arriving at Epcot later than expected.
Other than that, though ... everything looks great!

Yep, that's my thought too. I plan on heading straight there as soon as the FoF parade ends, so I'm hoping my wait isn't too bad. And I'm just going to have maybe a small bite to eat, and one or two drinks. At Epcot, my only real goals are to spend my last night watching Illuminations, and any last-minute MouseGears shopping, so if Trader Sam's runs long and I don't get over to Epcot until an hour or two later than anticipated, no big deal. I'll still be there in plenty of time for those two things.

Yay for the 35 lbs, but ... GET BACK ON THE TREADMILL! NO SKIPPING THE TREADMILL!!!
Skipping the treadmill is not allowed.
Seriously ... if I could run 9+ miles yesterday in 30-something degree weather, you can do some walking on the indoor treadmill.*
*Note: I do not recommend running 9+ miles in 30-something degree weather. My throat hurt for the rest of the day from breathing cold air for 2 hours.
(That's right, I'm bringing the peer pressure/bullying here ... but I'm not doing it to be mean, I'm doing it because I believe in you and I know you can do it!)

Funnily enough, that kind of thing has the opposite effect on me. It just makes me want to be even lazier! But the plan is to go do it tomorrow and Friday. Maybe Saturday, too. But at least Weds/Fri.

Don't worry, I'm not offended. I know I'm boring

You're not boring, I'm just LAZY!!! In all things!!!

Park Hours, 35 pounds, and books!!!!!! Neglect us all you want, sounds like things are going splendid for you

They certainly don't suck! I'm also been taking my books and going to either the park or a coffee house and reading, which has been nice. I'm thinking about buying a nice lounge chair so I can start heading to the beach to relax and read, too. I live 15 minutes from the ocean, and I never take advantage of it. I want to change that this year!

Can't add too much in the books department, because thanks to all those books the public school system made me read I never got pleasure out of it except for a trashy celebrity tell all at the beach ; ) Sounds like you are really enjoying the kindle though.

I've always been a book nerd. In elementary school I would sneak and read books quietly in my room after my Mom put me to bed. I like disappearing into my own little introverted world.

I had no idea there was so much fluidity in park hours year in and year out. I would have thought them to be pretty similar. Of course I'm also the person who has no idea what the park hours are for our trip next month. But it looks like ya got everything all spreadsheeted out!!!!

The operating hours themselves don't fluctuate that much. For me, it's all about the EMHs. Those do change, and I definitely take them into heavy consideration when planning my itinerary!

I like your schedule. When we stayed at the Beach Club last month we didn't go to MK until day four.

That makes me feel so much better! It just seems so crazy!

We went to MK on the morning after the park had very late hours, and it was dead until around 11am.

Good to know! I'll definitely be there for rope drop! Actually sooner... I'm doing a pre-park opening breakfast ADR at Be Our Guest that day. After, I'll probably run around and do what I can with short waits in those first couple hours, then start my FP+ selections around 11am. Then a Quick Service lunch, and see the FoF parade, then head out of the park.

We also hit some nightmare crowds at MK when we were there in Dec 2014. In fact, we were in Liberty Square waiting for the MSEP and the crowds were packed in like sardines.

BLECH! Yeah, it was really bad the Wednesday night that we were there that 2nd week of December. It was an EMH night, too. So as much as I love nighttime EMH, this time I'm going to go on a non-EMH night, a Monday (which from what I understand historically is one of the slower days at MK since so many people go over the weekend), and hope that it makes a difference!

We've had many trips where we don't hit MK until our 3rd day, but we always go there our last day And in my preliminary planning for our Nov. trip (which is so far all in my head lol) we're once again not going to MK until at least our 2nd day if not our 3rd, so I think your schedule looks fine!

Thanks for the encouragement! I've just always made a point of making MK the first park I hit, because I don't really truly feel like I'm at Disney until I see the castle! So this will be totally different for me, but I figured I'd be open-minded and give it a try, since it's how the scheduling works out best!

35 lbs., woo-hoo!!!

Thanks!!! Hoping to get to 40 lbs lost by the end of the month, but it's getting down to the wire, just a little over a week left!

I LOVE reading. Stephen King is my favorite author I used to go through a book or two a week - and then I found the Dis

I was into Stephen King as a teen but moved away from it as I got older. Now I HATE horror stuff! You wouldn't know if from all the Stephen King books in my book cases, though. In my 20s I got very much into fantasy novels, both adult and YA, with a strong preference for trilogies or series, and that remains my preferred reading to this day.

Love my kindle books too! I actually pick up quite a few freebies - really great for cheesy romances and some good mysteries, depending if I just want to be entertained or want something to sink my teeth into.

My aunt does the same thing! She likes the Kindle Unlimited program a lot. (I download my books for free too, but I don't think I can talk about that on the DIS. Shhhh.)

Very organized, as usual!

Thanks!

35 pounds, excellent! Finally got around to making a vegetable omelette with goat cheese tonight (inspired by your dining report of those eggs), so yummy!

That sounds DELICIOUS! I want one!

No Universal this time around?

NOPE! I only went in December because my aunt and uncle really wanted to see "Harry Potter Land." Honestly, HP is the only thing at Universal that even interests me, and it's not something I feel compelled to do every time. For me, it's more of a once-every-few-years thing.

Jumped over here from Mo's TR. I decided not to try to catch up from the beginning and I'm glad I didn't since you had to change everything around anyways.

OMG, it's the infamous Ariana! On my PTR! I'm glad you're here!

I think your plans look great! I really love the color coding on the spreadsheet. I may have to steal that idea for my next trip whenever that might be.

Steal away! I actually have a nearly-blank template that I email to DISers all the time who PM me with their email address. I'm happy to send it along anytime!

Thanks for the update! Congratulations on losing 35 lbs; that is fantastic!

Thank you so much!

I understand about the binge reading. I read daily. Currently reading free Kindle book that's pretty good. It's a mystery/crime solving storyline.

My aunt loves the free Kindle books. None of the books I want to read are ever part of it, though. Booooo!

The new schedule looks good. I agree with SarahDisney; may need more time for Trader Sam's.

Not a problem! I can arrive to Epcot up to a couple hours later than scheduled, and still be okay.

Looking forward to next update!

Might be a while... I've been super DIS-lazy!

 

[sahm2two]

Have you looked at crowd calendars? Kenny the pirate has his updated and that made my plans change allllll around. I'm still not quite satisfied with it.
I believe Monday and Wednesdays are the few days (and Saturday?) That MK doesn't have mnsshp, which makes it a crowded day bc everyone not attending the party wants to go to a park with full hours. We plan on park hopping on party days. We've got 3 (maybe 4) mornings/early afternoons scheduled for MK and only one night so far... Mnsshp. I'm trying to avoid red parks at all costs lol

 

[Wood Nymph]

In my 20s I got very much into fantasy novels, both adult and YA, with a strong preference for trilogies or series, and that remains my preferred reading to this day.

My sister told me about the Percy Jackson series, so I read the first trilogy. I needed something to fill the void after the end of the Harry Potter series.

That makes me feel so much better! It just seems so crazy!

MK is actually very stressful compared to the other parks. We did Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom before we did MK. We also did some resort hopping since we are on a mission to explore all the resorts. It is easy to do from the BC. Just go to DHS and catch a resort bus. We checked Coronado Springs this time. I liked the five foot alligator living in the pond in the Cabanas section. That was the highlight of the day.

I heard Friday is the worst! Then Thursday, then Sunday. Regardless, as much as I would prefer to go on Tuesday, I just can't miss my late-night Epcot! I love it so much! So Sunday will have to do for the party!

We've done the party on both Thursday and Friday, the same time of the month that you will be there, and both were sold out and crowded. We have a choice between Sunday and Tuesday on our next trip. I'm leaning toward the Tuesday party.

 

[ALEXandFAB]

I downloaded it to my Kindle last night! I think I'm going to start it tonight or tomorrow!

Yeah! I loved Erin Morgenstern's writing style

 

[jandlinz]

Congratulations on 35 pounds. I hope you continue to strive for a healthier you. Sometimes it's hard to push through, especially when you don't want to.
I love the spreadsheet. I hope you get all your ADR choices!

 

[Elevationist]

Have you looked at crowd calendars? Kenny the pirate has his updated and that made my plans change allllll around. I'm still not quite satisfied with it.
I believe Monday and Wednesdays are the few days (and Saturday?) That MK doesn't have mnsshp, which makes it a crowded day bc everyone not attending the party wants to go to a park with full hours. We plan on park hopping on party days. We've got 3 (maybe 4) mornings/early afternoons scheduled for MK and only one night so far... Mnsshp. I'm trying to avoid red parks at all costs lol

I'm a weirdo who doesn't pay too much attention to crowd calendars, because I like taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours, and crowd calendars always make the EMH park a red park. But you're right, the non-party days are usually Mon, Wed, and Sat, and the parties do make traffic on those days higher. Saturday is always bad at MK in general, and Wednesday is bad because it's MK's EMH night. So my hope is that Monday night will be the least crowded of them all. I *need* to see MSEP and Wishes (not just HalloWishes)!

My sister told me about the Percy Jackson series, so I read the first trilogy. I needed something to fill the void after the end of the Harry Potter series.

I love the Percy Jackson books! I have all 5 in that set, plus the 5-book set that followed it, the Heroes of Olympus. I loved them all! I also have the Kane Trilogy from the same author, Rick Riordan, about Egyptian mythology. And now he's writing a Norse mythology series, only the first of which has been released so far (which is also sitting on my Kindle, waiting for me to read it), with the second installment due out this Fall!

MK is actually very stressful compared to the other parks. We did Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom before we did MK. We also did some resort hopping since we are on a mission to explore all the resorts. It is easy to do from the BC. Just go to DHS and catch a resort bus. We checked Coronado Springs this time. I liked the five foot alligator living in the pond in the Cabanas section. That was the highlight of the day.

I live in gator country, they don't impress me much. And you're right, MK can be really stressful sometimes!

We've done the party on both Thursday and Friday, the same time of the month that you will be there, and both were sold out and crowded. We have a choice between Sunday and Tuesday on our next trip. I'm leaning toward the Tuesday party.

Yeah, I was dead-set on doing the Tuesday party on this trip, but I really don't want to give up my late-night Epcot roaming. So I'll give Sunday a try and hope for the best!

Yeah! I loved Erin Morgenstern's writing style

I'm excited to dive into it tonight!

Congratulations on 35 pounds. I hope you continue to strive for a healthier you. Sometimes it's hard to push through, especially when you don't want to.

Thanks!! And yeah, it's TOUGH some days!!

I love the spreadsheet. I hope you get all your ADR choices!

Thanks! And I think I will. I don't have anything SUPER hard to get, I don't think. And I'm always online and ready right at 6am on my ADR day. I'm sure I'll be fine.

 

[hokieinpa]

The park hours threw me for a loop too. I had to rework all of the days, including MNSSHP and my 4 parks in a day. But I like yur plans! I'm waiting to hear times and possible FP+ or dining package details about ROL. The waiting is driving me crazy!!

Yum, I love Texas de Brazil! The cheese bread is seriously amazing like a little pillow of cheesy goodness. And the grilled pineapple is delicious!

I think all of your plans look great, of course! I would have a hard time putting MK and Epcot off until Day 4 but that's just the way the schedule works sometimes. And I see a nice long break built in for some swimming at Stormalong Bay!!

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Yes! Reading and planning and weight loss! I am right there with you!

I just finished re-reading The Magicians trilogy and am currently rereading Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Then after that is The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker. I am also listening to The Outlander series on Audible while at work (already read them all in paper). Rick Riordan is also coming out with a new Percy series called "The Trials of Apollo", which comes out May 3rd. It will be another 5 book series. Just in time for my flight to WDW - 10 days early, even!

 

[sahm2two]

I'm having a REALLY hard time squeezing in seeing the regular Wishes. I wanted to just see it from Ohana, but I'm even having a hard time making that happen with our schedule... My adr date is coming up fast... less than 2 weeks so I'm trying to figure everything out before then!

 

[Elevationist]

The park hours threw me for a loop too. I had to rework all of the days, including MNSSHP and my 4 parks in a day. But I like yur plans! I'm waiting to hear times and possible FP+ or dining package details about ROL. The waiting is driving me crazy!!

Ooooh, I hadn't even thought about FP or Dining Package stuff for Rivers of Light! I was just gonna show up! But looking at my schedule, I think I'm gonna have to play it that way anyhow. I'll be using my FP+ at Epcot that morning, and it's the only day that I can squeeze in dinner at Boma.

Yum, I love Texas de Brazil! The cheese bread is seriously amazing like a little pillow of cheesy goodness. And the grilled pineapple is delicious!

I've never been, and I've been wanting to go for literally yeeeeears. I'm finally going to cross it off my bucket list! I can't wait... I think it'll be a cool way to start my trip!

I think all of your plans look great, of course! I would have a hard time putting MK and Epcot off until Day 4 but that's just the way the schedule works sometimes. And I see a nice long break built in for some swimming at Stormalong Bay!!

Yes, exactly! It feels super weird to not be heading straight to MK! But you're right, that half-day at the resort is intended to be spent hanging out by the pool (and eating what looks like an AMAZING lobster roll from Hurricane Hanna's).

Yes! Reading and planning and weight loss! I am right there with you!

Hooray! These are the best things!

I just finished re-reading The Magicians trilogy and am currently rereading Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Then after that is The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker. I am also listening to The Outlander series on Audible while at work (already read them all in paper). Rick Riordan is also coming out with a new Percy series called "The Trials of Apollo", which comes out May 3rd. It will be another 5 book series. Just in time for my flight to WDW - 10 days early, even!

Yes, I have the Apollo one on my Amazon wishlist, too! And I actually have Stardust and Neverwhere both sitting on my Kindle, waiting on me to jump into them!

I'm having a REALLY hard time squeezing in seeing the regular Wishes. I wanted to just see it from Ohana, but I'm even having a hard time making that happen with our schedule... My adr date is coming up fast... less than 2 weeks so I'm trying to figure everything out before then!

I tried to squeeze an Ohana dinner into this trip, but there's just no way without sacrificing something else! Which is weird... I've not gone to Disney without a visit to Ohana while there in well over a decade! It's gonna be super weird! (It's so hard when you want to do ALL the things!)

 

[Steppesister]

I was all nervous that the real park hours would come out, and that I would have to completely re-do everything! But then they did, and it turned out that I didn't need to change ANYTHING. It worked out absolutely perfectly!

YES! This exactly this! I hope....

So yesterday, the real October park hours for this year were finally released... AND EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT.

....and then I read this. I KNEW that was gonna happen. Back to the drawing board. Gonna be a looooong night.

All told, it ended up bring like a two-hour project!

Awesome.

6. Now if they'll just hurry up and release the dang MNSSHP party dates, I'll feel much better about all of this!

THIS. Sigh. I really hope they have Tuesday party for me.

but I have lost 35 lbs since January 1st. So that's a victory, at least!

You GO, Girl!! Keep up all the hard and good work.

 

[Elevationist]

YES! This exactly this! I hope....

....and then I read this. I KNEW that was gonna happen. Back to the drawing board. Gonna be a looooong night.

Awesome.

Aww, you poor girl! *hugs!*

THIS. Sigh. I really hope they have Tuesday party for me.

They should! And hey, look... MNSSHP OFFICIAL DATES CAME OUT TODAY!!!
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...walt-disney-world-guests-29-nights-this-fall/

You GO, Girl!! Keep up all the hard and good work.

Thanks! I'm trying! It's getting harder instead of easier!