Alien Encounter gave me PTSD!! A Dec '14 PTR **Life Update 5/11 & 5/15**

[PhoenixStrength]

Yay for getting your FP+ done! I can see how you'd probably want an earlier mine train FP but at least you were able to get one.

Yeah, the only earlier FP+ for 7dmt took place overlapping our dinner ADR, so it wouldn't work.

That's awesome! I couldn't get the Mine Train. But my trip was so last minute! I am so looking forward to seeing photos!

Keep trying! I'm seeing some people getting them days before they leave from people rearranging last minute!

I like your Epcot day plans. Love the Fish and Chips, and we always enjoy our meals at Coral Reef.

Your plans for attractions sound great.

Thanks! I do think this day's plans will work pretty well with how I have them scheduled, it all just depends on how long the standby lines are.

Never had the fish and chips in Epcot but we are looking forward to trying it!

Congratulations on successfully getting your FP+ booked! I stayed up till midnight and still couldn't get everything when we booked ours.

Sorry you couldn't get all of yours booked! I know several people that happened to. There were very few 7DMT FPs left for my first day, only a few time options, all late in the day too.

Hi Stephanie I'm back and all caught up. Love your plans so far. Bummer that you couldn't get an earlier time for 7DMT on your first day. I didn't have any problems for my early December trip but that's probably just a sign of the expected crowd levels.

I hope you are able to get the BOG FP. I want to try to get one too for my trip.

I finally walked through the Innovations side near Test Track (I can never remember which is East and which is West). I took one look at Sum of All Thrills and knew I couldn't handle it with my motion sickness issues.

Yummy dinner location, I'm eating there in December too, I'm doing the Candlelight Dinner Package.

Welcome back! I can't wait to hear all about your trip

We cannot wait to try Sum of All Thrills, but I can understand why you wouldn't be able to handle it with motion sickness concerns.

I so love Coral Reef, both the food and the atmosphere

Whoo Hoo on getting your FP+ that you wanted! I enjoy reading about your plans and I am taking notes . I was wondering how you know about availability beforehand? Is it on MDE or is there a thread you are following?

Thanks! I'm following a thread just for people visiting this December. People who were able to book in the few days before me were reporting back on the availability of time options for the popular attractions!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY FOUR, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 24TH

First of all:




Hope everyone has a great holiday!


Now, for our plans for Christmas Eve!

We will be getting up around 6:30am this morning since our park that day opens at 9am (at least for now, hours are still changing!). After our usual shower and breakfast at OPR we will be heading off to see this, before they start taking it down!






I've always been kind of undecided on whether I liked the hat or not. I do remember that it wasn't there my first trip and how surprised I was that it was there my next. I like it and I hate it. I think it would have been great somewhere else in the park, as a separate feature and not blocking GMR, which was a great sight when you walked in the park on it's own. Of course they will probably just switch it out for something Star Wars related for the new area they are making, so GMR will be blocked by something else for people to complain about!

Anyway, back to our trip! So I know most people will be dashing for TSMM, but we have a FP+ for it later that morning so we won't be. Instead we will hopefully avoid crazy crowds by heading to an attraction we don't have a FP for that day:






I know it will be difficult to do my usual tactic of being able to ride everything multiple times (that comes with going the busiest week of the year!) so we will avoid our FP+ rides except at their times so we can do as much as possible. With that being said, once we get done on RnRC we will look to see how long the wait is for ToT and if it's not bad yet (hoping everyone is still in line for TSM!) then we might do that despite having a FP+ for it that afternoon, since it's one of my favorite rides and I know George will absolutely love it too! We can only do it if the line is short though, as our first FP+ starts at 9:55am, for this attraction:






The first couple of times I rode Star Tours after the update I got a horrible headache. I gave it another try last year though and no problems either time I rode it. I think I discovered that if I'm hungry at all it aggravates my stomach, but as long as I'm not hungry I am fine. I shouldn't be hungry yet by then but if for some reason I am we will grab a cupcake or something at Starring Rolls first, then head there.

Depending on what time it is when we get done we may have time before our second FP+, so we will probably check the wait times and do whichever of these has a more reasonable standby:









They are both relatively close to Star Tours and our second FP+, which starts at 11:30am and is for this popular attraction:






Funny how this went from the most popular FP+ and standby attraction to third, after Anna & Elsa's meet and greet and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, isn't it? Still almost impossible to get one after the first day or so of your window opening though!

After I kick George's butt at the arcade games in TSMM we will probably grab lunch somewhere. No idea where since I'm not hugely fond of any of the QS options there. Pizza Planet probably, since I like them at least somewhat. I'm sure after we eat we will try to do whichever of the two options we didn't get to do before Toy Story before heading to our third FP+, Tower of Terror!






We will probably also catch at least one of the shows (Indiana, Lights Motor Action, Beauty and the Beast or Little Mermaid), maybe two if we can fit them in before our 6:25pm ADR at my favorite TS in DHS:






For those that haven't been there, that's Mama Melrose's open kitchen! I really love their Chicken Parm, the bread, the desserts, everything! George loved their menu when he looked at it, so we booked!

The park is open until 8pm, with EMH until 10pm. There are two Fantasmics that night, 6:30pm and 8pm. Obviously we will miss the first one due to dinner, and I think we may cut it close on the second since I'd rather not rush through our meal. So instead we will probably go right over and enjoy the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights after dinner for a while, which will be extra magical to see on Christmas Eve. I'm sure we will try to meet with Santa Goofy too, since he was so much fun in 2012 on my solo trip!






If we get through the lights and Goofy's queue and still have time before EMH ends at 10pm then I'm sure we will pick an attraction we either didn't get to do or one we want to do again and do that. Maybe we will get lucky and everyone will either be in the second Fantasmic or have left at regular park closing and we will get to do two attractions! Once the park closes though we will head back to CBR and head to bed!



NEXT TIME: CHRISTMAS DAY!!!

 

[Pluto0809]

Sounds like a great day at HS! I'm sure you will have some huge crowds but hopefully it will be manageable. Don't forget that you can always try for a 4th FP+ after you get off of TOT. I'm thinking about doing that for GMR because even though it's usually not a bad line, it will still save some time.

 

[KatMark]

Steph, it sounds like a great way to spend Christmas Eve.

I would try to do Indiana Jones as our tour guide on the Backstage Safari said it would be closing.

You could always go to Starring Rolls for lunch. Their sandwiches there are great and then you could get a cupcake for dessert (or your second if you had to stop for one for breakfast).

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Sounds like a great day at HS! I'm sure you will have some huge crowds but hopefully it will be manageable. Don't forget that you can always try for a 4th FP+ after you get off of TOT. I'm thinking about doing that for GMR because even though it's usually not a bad line, it will still save some time.

Thanks! We knew we will get crazy crowds, so we are trying to be smart about our plans. We will try for a 4th FP+, but won't count on getting one with the crowds expected.

Steph, it sounds like a great way to spend Christmas Eve.

I would try to do Indiana Jones as our tour guide on the Backstage Safari said it would be closing.

You could always go to Starring Rolls for lunch. Their sandwiches there are great and then you could get a cupcake for dessert (or your second if you had to stop for one for breakfast).

Thanks! We will definitely do Indiana Jones and LMA since I know you heard both will close for the new Star Wars area. We do have two days at each park, so if we don't get to both or either this day we will get them the second day!

I keep forgetting about Starring Rolls for food, beyond their delicious cupcakes! Thanks!

 

[Valgoof]

Sounds like a much better Christmas Eve than the one I will be having at my inlaws! Lol.
Love Santa Goofy!! I am determined to meet more characters this trip.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Sounds like a much better Christmas Eve than the one I will be having at my inlaws! Lol.
Love Santa Goofy!! I am determined to meet more characters this trip.

I don't normally do a lot of characters, though I did do a lot on my Mother/Daughter trip since my Mom loves them. I do like the special characters though, like the holiday ones.

 

[afwdwfan]

Looks like a great day! I agree with you about the hat. It isn't so much that I hate the hat... I just hate that it blocks the theater! I wish they could move it someplace more fitting. It would be a great addition to a value resort or DTD or something!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Short Life Update/Prayer Request:

I would appreciate prayers, good thoughts, etc for my family today. Both my Mom and my Great Aunt are having surgery today, and both have extra risks. My Great Aunt is in her 80s and in bad health, but the pain in her shoulder is so bad now that she is willing to risk dying to stop it.

My Mom's surgery itself isn't what is risky. She is having a full hysterectomy due to some recurring benign polyps that are causing a lot of pain and bleeding. Her problem is that she cannot go under anesthesia. She had used different kinds and every type causes her to go into seizures when she starts waking up, from petite to grand mal. They have even tried phenobarbital (an anti-seizure medication) and that sent her into an immediate seizure. So she is having to stay awake and they are doing it via epidural. That itself, again, isn't the concern, since it's not much different than the way they do C-sections. Mom has reactions to a wide variety of medications (which my sisters and I also got from her, though not as badly) and had my sisters and I naturally, so they don't know if she will have a reaction to the epidural or not. Her surgery is schedule for 7:30am and I am going to head up there to wait with my father once I'm done posting this.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[teekathepony]

Hi there!
I'm a newbie to your reports, but I can't wait to read all about my favourite holiday at my favourite place.
Also prayers for your mom and aunt, hoping both surgeries go smoothly.

 

[debsters41]

I am praying. Please give us an update when you are able.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Hi there!
I'm a newbie to your reports, but I can't wait to read all about my favourite holiday at my favourite place.
Also prayers for your mom and aunt, hoping both surgeries go smoothly.

Welcome It's our favorite holiday iny favorite place too! And I think it will be George's favorite place too after this trip.

Thank you very much!

I am praying. Please give us an update when you are able.

Thank you, I will!

 

[KatMark]

Prayers coming their way

 

[afwdwfan]

Yuck... I hope everything goes well for both of them!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Prayers coming their way

Yuck... I hope everything goes well for both of them!

Thanks to you both!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Moms surgery is done and she is in recovery. Doctor said all went well. They did it with the epidural and light sedation but no anesthesia. She's in recovery and they will let us know when she's moved to a room so we can see her. Probably be 45-60 minutes. As long as she has no complications she should be able to go home Friday.

My aunt's surgery isn't for another hour

 

[debsters41]

Yay for Mom! I am glad they found a solution and I hope she enjoys good health from now on. Now I am thinking about your aunt. Stay positive!

 

[teekathepony]

Excellent news for your mom!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[KatMark]

Good to hear your mom did well with surgery. Please keep us updated on her and your Aunt.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I read your update on your mother yesterday and thought that I had posted but apparently I didn't. So glad to hear that her surgery went well and that she may be going home tomorrow. How is your aunt?