All My Bags Are(n't) Packed(But I'm Ready to Go)~My 1st PTR (11/2014) - TR Link (p.8)

[SarahDisney]

I guess you won't miss it if it's closed when your trip takes place.

Everyone else was like "how can I go to Disney and not go on Maelstrom, it's the best ride ever!!!" and I'm like "yeah, don't care at all."

 

[SarahDisney]

WEEK 6:​

MOVIE NIGHT: Dumbo (watched it Tuesday night … it was cute, but that pink elephant thing was WEIRD)
CHARACTERS: Chip ‘n’ Dale
Our character activities:
- SW: Changed her computer background (she wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, but she would have needed to clean her oven, which she didn’t have time to do)
- Me: Made oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes (in honor of Chip’s chocolate chip brown nose – they were decent, but I always overmix my pancakes)

Here’s what got taken care of this week:
Disney “Spirit”:
* I started the Character Bingo cards! Here’s an example (it’s two to a page, which will be printed on sticker paper thanks to a helpful suggestion, then stuck on to repurposed cardboard, and cut in half on the dotted line). The way it works is that each person has multiple boards (I haven’t decided how many yet), and when we see/meet a character, you get to put a sticker over that character on all of your boards. Whenever you get a bingo, you get … something (I wanted to go to the Disney Store in Times Square and get something small for prizes, but SW thinks it should be something at the parks … we shall see. We still have 2 months to decide).

* We have officially decided that we’re getting new MagicBands! I want to decorate mine. I’ve got a couple of ideas (nothing too complicated), and will share them once I’ve gotten some decorating done. I’m trying to decide between pink and gray for the new band (depends on what design I choose). SW hasn’t decided yet what color she wants the new one to be (the old one is blue) or if she’s decorating.


Parks & Plans:
*Our FP+ window opens up in a few days. I’ve listed what we want at the end of this post, but I know I most likely won’t get everything I want. Still, I’ll be happy once the selections are made and I don’t have to worry about it. My strategy is to have all of my options and alternates for each day written on an index card and have the index cards in the order that I want to try booking (MK, HS, Epcot, AK). I’ll have my account open before midnight (and also probably SW’s in a different window in case there are problems, because tickets were purchased on her account), and 4 Photoshop documents open and ready to receive screenshots once the selections have been made. Can you tell that I’m paranoid about something going wrong?

*There are a few things I still need to fit into our plans:

• Exploring the hotel – we did a lot of this last trip, but we did rush it a bit so we want to do it again (preferably by daylight, but we also may do it at night), and I might even want to pop over to POP (ha ha ha) because I don’t think we explored all of the hotel when we stayed there. Usually we do it one morning … but we’re hoping to do rope drop every day. I don’t know if we can fit it in.
  
  
  
  From last year’s hotel exploration morning
• Pool – I don’t think we’ve ever swam at Disney. I haven’t been in a pool in over 2.5 years, and while I’m not a great swimmer, I do enjoy pool time. It’s not a priority for us (although I do want to do it), but I need to know whether we will do it because I don’t know that my swimsuit fits, so I would probably need to shop for a new one, which may not be easy for me.

Other:
*Saturday night my sister was over, so we had a nice few rounds of

Playing on the Xbox is not exactly the same as playing at Disney (you’re pushing a button instead of pulling a string and moving a stick thing instead of moving the whole cannon), but I maintain that it's still good practice (also ... it's a lot of fun)

*I went to a baseball game today and managed to get through the whole game with my hair down. This is a big deal because I wear my hair down all the time now (it took me 25 years, but I've finally found a hairstyle I like), so I wanted practice wearing it down even in the heat/humidity. Hopefully I'll be able to wear it down all the time at Disney (last trip I was still wearing it up most of the time, and I actually put it up the one day I had it down because it was hot). The joys of long hair.

Ideal FP+ Schedule:​

Epcot (Day 1): - our plane lands a little before 11, so these times should be fine – and if we get to the parks earlier than the first FP+, I can try to move it up)
- Spaceship Earth – 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
- Test Track – 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
- Epcot Character Spot – 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Magic Kingdom (Day 2):
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Anytime between 11 & 4 (we spend most of that time in Fantasyland, and I figured a bigger range means I have a better chance at getting what we want)
- Anna & Elsa at Princess Fairytale Hall – Anytime between 11 & 4 (not expecting to get this one & I do have a backup, but this is my ideal schedule)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Hollywood Studios (Day 3):
- Toy Story Midway Mania – Anytime between 10 & 12 (earlier is better, but not too early because we may want to try RnR at RD, which I assume we won’t get out of before 10)
- Muppet*Vision 3D – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – we have a 1:25 reservation at Mama Melrose’s, so I figured I want to do this around 12:30-12:45ish so that we can pretty much go straight from there to lunch (possibly with a stop in a store if we have a little time to kill)
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid – Sometime in the morning (not sure exactly when, but probably sometime between TSMM & Muppet*Vision 3D)

Animal Kingdom (Day 4): (these “overlap,” but it’s mostly whatever time period I can get within these windows - we're a little more flexible with scheduling this day)
- Disney Characters at Adventurers Outpost - 9:30AM - 10:30AM (gives us a few minutes to see some animals and get there, even if we arrive at rope drop)
- Expedition Everest– Anytime between 10 & 12
- Kilimanjaro Safaris – Anytime between 11 & 2

I think these plans should work well for us (although I do miss the days when there was no tiering and we could get TT & Soarin’/TSMM & RnR). I will, however, be nervous until I make the selections. I keep telling myself that worrying doesn’t help and there’s nothing I can do until FP+ selection day other than plan … but that doesn’t stop me from worrying.


I may have some more planning fun coming up soon … but we’ll see. A lot of it depends on me having a few minutes of free time, which I don’t know if I will have this week.

 

[MonsterWDWmom]

Your plans look great! My daughter LOVES Dumbo

I think you should be able to get Anna and Elsa especially since you have 60 days to book it.

One day I hope to tour the hotels also, I think I will to start staying onsite to make it easier!

 

[ach222]

Your plans are looking awesome!

We watched Aristocats this weekend randomly, not sure I'd ever seen it all the way through. I agree it's a better choice than Fantasia. I have to get Dumbo on our list (well I need to make our list)

I'd probably go in thinking about getting a BOG FP+ for lunch and then if you happen to come a across a dinner res it's a bonus!

Your FP day is so close - exciting!

 

[RooRach0906]

Plans look great and I love the Bingo cards!

For the fastpasses start with your MK day and start with Anna and Elsa and there is a pretty good chance I definately hope you get some with it! Then do Mine Train then you can do the rest of the days as you please.

The pink elephant part is weird because they are inebriated and dreaming which I am sure you realized. Personally I love Pink Elephants, the song at least.

 

[SarahDisney]

Your plans look great! My daughter LOVES Dumbo

Thanks! I think this is actually the first time I've seen it (or at least the first time I remember seeing it), but I liked it.

I think you should be able to get Anna and Elsa especially since you have 60 days to book it.

I hope you're right about Anna & Elsa ... I've heard stories of people who couldn't get them early in the trip even at 60 days (and since my trip is only 4 days, all of my trip is early in the trip), but I'm still hoping I can get it.

One day I hope to tour the hotels also, I think I will to start staying onsite to make it easier!

The hotels really are incredible ... but so far we've only toured the ones we've stayed at. So yeah, staying onsite helps, you should definitely try it!

Your plans are looking awesome!

Thanks!

We watched Aristocats this weekend randomly, not sure I'd ever seen it all the way through. I agree it's a better choice than Fantasia. I have to get Dumbo on our list (well I need to make our list)

I don't think I've ever seen any of The Aristocats, so I'm really looking forward to watching it in a few weeks. We really wanted to see Fantasia because it has a park presence, but it was just too weird for us. We watched the Sorcerer's Apprentice part, though, and that's what most of the park stuff is. And yes, Dumbo should be on your list! We tried to stick to movies that have a park presence, but we also stuck in a few that aren't really in the parks but we haven't seen (and skipped some of the ones that are in the park but we've seen a million times ... although we did end up watching Cinderella a few days ago)

I'd probably go in thinking about getting a BOG FP+ for lunch and then if you happen to come a across a dinner res it's a bonus!

I think that's my plan. I want dinner because I think the Beast is only at dinner, but I'm okay with just getting lunch

Your FP day is so close - exciting!

Yup! I'm really excited and nervous ... but it'll be over soon, so I'll be calmer then.

Plans look great and I love the Bingo cards!

Thanks!

For the fastpasses start with your MK day and start with Anna and Elsa and there is a pretty good chance I definately hope you get some with it! Then do Mine Train then you can do the rest of the days as you please.

I was planning to start with MK day, but hadn't thought about order yet. Thanks for the advice - I think that's what I'll do. I'm doing HS second because I want an early TSMM, but those are the only things I'm really worried about (and I'll be okay if I don't get TSMM as early as I want, as long as I get it).

The pink elephant part is weird because they are inebriated and dreaming which I am sure you realized. Personally I love Pink Elephants, the song at least.

I got that it was because they were drunk, but it was still a little weird for me. I like the song, but some of the animation was a little too trippy for me.


I have another update coming up soon ... I just have to upload pictures. I should be posting in less than an hour.

 

[SarahDisney]

Interlude: Creative Craziness & Shopping​

So, this happened last week:

Yes, my middle initial is L. No, I’m not telling you what it stands for.

It has my planning schedule (broken down day by day, because freestyling it was stressing me out … and yes, planning my life to the minute is much less stressful for me than freestyling my schedule … I’m weird), any information we will need on the trip (flight confirmation, map of MCO/DME welcome center, Disney package confirmation, ADR confirmation, will have park plans once I get them finalized), shopping lists, and anything else I can think of. I know it seems crazy, but it makes sense for me.
Yesterday I put the finishing touches on it and started printing things to go inside. Getting everything together was made easier once I brought this guy down from the attic:

That’s my brother’s printer from college (mine barely worked with Windows XP, so even if I knew where it was, I’m assuming it won’t work with Windows 7), and while I can’t get it to print in color (my guess is that it needs a new cartridge, but I keep forgetting to check the ink level, and printer cartridges aren’t really in my budget these days anyway), it’s good for printing on the spot – it’s a lot easier to just plug in the printer and hit print than to email something to myself and then head downstairs to my dad’s computer, turn it on, log into my email, then hit print.

Yesterday I also did this:

For those of you who are confused, that’s a crocheted MagicBand cover, with the Mickey head area exposed (it is crocheted in the back, tho). It’s a little big, but still wearable (I kinda switched how I was doing it partway through, so it got messed up and that's why it's too big … but I know better for next time).
It might be too much to wear in the heat, so I’ll try it out one day this week or next week and see how it feels. If I like it, it was pretty easy to make, so I can make it in as many colors as I want (assuming I have or can find yarn in the colors I want) and have it match my outfit (yes, I am the kind of person who would want her magicband to match her outfit … if I end up not liking the crocheted bracelets, I’m going to have a silver glitter MB and a gold glitter MB and use the MB that matches whatever earrings I wear).

Today was mall day. Mostly I had a horrible shopping day (I had 4 things on my list and got all of … none of them).
I did stop in at the Disney Store. I knew I wanted to stop in to help get me in the Disney mood, but I didn’t think I would get anything. I actually left the store unsure whether I wanted something, and then came back and bought:

(Yes, that is my Cars poster in the background)
The bag was just an extra purchase (it was on sale). The important purchase (also on sale) was:

As you may have guessed if you remember my nickname for her, the Snow White shirt is for my dear sister SW. The Minnie Mouse one is for me. I don’t love it, but it was decently priced and my favorite one that they had on sale (they had some cute Frozen ones, but those weren’t on sale). They did have a Little Mermaid shirt, but I didn’t really like it (the colors seemed all wrong). So I went with this. I don’t love it, but I’m happy with it. I don’t know when I’ll wear it, though (I’m encouraging SW to wear hers on Epcot day, which is when we will most likely see Snow White).

In non-Disney news … Monday was my 13-month unemployment anniversary, and it’s been really hard on me, especially the past few months. I think that’s why I’m throwing myself into the Disney stuff so hard … it distracts me, even if just for a short period of time, from the messier stuff in my life.

And on that note … FP+ window comes up soon. After making my selections (and emailing them to my sister), I’m taking a planning break for a few days, so don’t expect me to pop back up until sometime next week.

 

[RooRach0906]

Good job on the binder. I like all my stuff in one place too.

The crocheted magic band covers look great.

Love the shirts!

 

[stacy~**]

Hey Sarah!! I just realize you had a PTR going! yay!

I didn't have time to read it yet so I don't have much to say but wanted to get it on my subscribed list. Can't wait to hear about your plans.

 

[SarahDisney]

Hey Sarah!! I just realize you had a PTR going! yay!

I didn't have time to read it yet so I don't have much to say but wanted to get it on my subscribed list. Can't wait to hear about your plans.

Hi Stacy! Thanks for stopping by!

 

[SarahDisney]

Week 7:​

Okay, I’m back (somewhat) from my planning hiatus.

MOVIE NIGHT: Lady and the Tramp (watched Saturday night – we thought it was cute)
CHARACTER: Mary Poppins
Our character activities:
- SW: Changed her computer background, had a spoonful of sugar (aka a scoopful of hazelnut in her coffee) to help the medicine go down, additional activity pictured below
- Me: Activity pictured below

I figured that riding a carousel would be a good homage to Mary Poppins, so on Sunday we went to Bryant Park and rode the carousel there (although our horses didn’t come off the carousel … we didn’t go anywhere). It was fun, but we were by far the oldest people there not accompanying a child.

Here’s what else happened this week:

Disney “Spirit”:
I did some work on both our Disney iTunes playlist (for listening to on our iPods) and some “waiting on line” activities (I downloaded some Disney trivia from some website and I’m sorting it to remove the ones that are poorly written or ones we wouldn’t know). But really only a little bit of work on each – I didn’t have much energy for this kinda stuff most of the week. I do want to have the iTunes playlist done by the next time my sister is home (2 or 3 weeks from now), but it’s slow going because my heart just hasn’t been in it lately.


Parks & Plans:
FP+ window opened a few days ago. Here’s what we got:

Day 1 – Epcot

• Spaceship Earth – 1:20 PM – 2:20 PM
• Test Track Presented by Chevrolet – 2:25 PM – 3:25 PM
• Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot – 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Day 2 – Magic Kingdom

• Enchanted Tales with Belle – 10:40 AM – 11:40 AM (may move this to after lunch if we end up doing lunch at BOG)
• Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 5:05 PM – 6:05 PM

Day 3 – Hollywood Studios

• Toy Story Midway Mania! – 10:25 AM – 11:25 AM
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid – 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
• Muppet*Vision 3D – 12:25 PM – 1:25 PM

Day 4 – Animal Kingdom

• Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost – 9:20 AM – 10:20 AM
• Expedition Everest – 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
• Kilimanjaro Safaris – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

I’m not surprised that we didn’t get Anna and Elsa, but I am a little surprised that 7 Dwarfs Mine Train wasn’t available. I’m worried that this means we’ll have to deal with huge crowds while we’re there. We did get most of what we wanted, though, so I’m okay with how things turned out. A few things were not the exact times we wanted, but we’re okay with what we have, and if we change our minds, we can change almost anything (and we may end up changing some things once we start making daily plans). We’ll wait on standby line for Mine Train, and possibly also for Anna & Elsa (depending on how long the line is).

I made my FP+ selections at midnight (pretty much exactly … starting at about 11:58 I started refreshing until I could make my selections). Once I got over the “no A&E or 7DMT” sadness, things went really well. Of course, nothing can go that well in my life, so … not all of the selections were showing up in MDE (on the web or in the app). I called tech support and they said there are issues with the website, but they’re all showing up on their end. I have on my schedule to call them again on Wednesday if things haven’t resolved themselves by then. Oh, stress, I love you so much.


Other:
We went to the 99 cent store on Sunday and bought cereal (individual servings) for breakfast during the trip – the selection wasn’t great, but we bought 6 (we have 3 days where we’ll need breakfast on the trip). We haven’t bought any other food supplies yet, but most things will be bought on a Target run a few days before the trip (we just bought the cereals today because they were on sale). We also bought a giant Princess coloring book for Disney Crafting Day (it’s on our calendar for a few weeks from now). We’re kind of adult-sized children.

And of course, to end … the obligatory graphic:

This may actually be the first time I’ve posted some of my artwork … this is what I do in my free time (this is actually a part of a project I'm working on using B&W patterns to create shapes)

Not much is on the agenda for this week ... mostly tying up loose ends and checking to see if tech issues are resolved. Look for an update in about a week or so ... although I may update sooner if something big happens.

 

[SarahDisney]

Interlude: One Less Worry & A Few Other Things​

So, this happened yesterday:

We were going to wait until the last minute to pay it all off, but … my sister decided to do it yesterday. Works for me. That’s one less thing to worry about.

Meanwhile, I think I’m going to do my Staples order tonight. I know what I need for right now – sticker paper for my bingo boards, cards for my trivia (I’m doing my own version of Trivial Pursuit … although we will likely also bring some Trivial Pursuit cards, but our Disney trivial pursuit is from 1986, so we don’t exactly know most of the answers), and a color cartridge for my printer (not that I know for sure that the color cartridge is the issue, but since it’s a likely candidate, I’m going to try replacing it and seeing if it can then print color). That’s one less thing for me to worry about … but still.

“Trivial Pursuit” cards (to be printed on Avery business cards – 10 to a page) – I was going to crop it to just the card, but I left it big in case anyone is interested in my process (the blue lines on the top row of cards are just guidelines to help me set it up … they won’t be on the actual cards, which is why they’re only in that one row). Of course, the final cards will have text … but I haven’t gotten around to putting in the text yet, so far I’ve only set up the templates.

I may change Animation Academy from a “Want to Do” to an “If We Have Time.” I was really excited about it because I’m a big art person and I would love to draw a character. Problem is, I can’t draw, and I know I can’t draw (the only reason I got a B in Principles of Drawing was because I spent about 5 hours a night on my drawings … and much of that time was erasing and redoing). I know that I sometimes have problems translating what I see on to paper (and I know they give verbal instructions, but I’m not sure how much of a difference that will make for me). I don’t want to do it and then get upset when my character doesn’t look like what it’s supposed to look like. But I also don’t want to not do it and then say that I should have done it.
Anyone out there have lousy drawing skills but do Animation Academy anyway and have some advice for me?

I've been losing my Disney enthusiasm a little lately, but I'm listening to my Disney Playlist now, so that's helping me get it back a bit. I just have to keep trucking and I know that once the trip gets closer, the huge enthusiasm that I had the day we booked the trip will come back (I hope).

And that’s all for now. I’m finishing up something for a client, then heigh-ho heigh-ho, it’s off to bake I go. Look for another update either Sunday or Monday (unless something big happens before then).

 

[stacy~**]

Its taken me a few days but I think I have read through it all! I love all your creative ideas....movie nights, character activities, the board and bingo game boards! I may have to steal some of these ideas when I start planning our next trip.

How great that you are registered for the Princess 5K! I was supposed to be running the princess half but at the last minute the group I was going with kind of fell apart. I was totally bummed but now I am hoping to do the TOT 10 miler in 2015. You should have a great time!

I think planning a few ADRs is a good idea even if you decide to cancel them (just do so before the deadline). For us eating at new places adds to the experience of doing new/different things. I hope you find a few that will work for you.

Not sure if anyone addressed your Starbucks app questions but you can use the app to pay and you will earn stars but they will not let you redeem rewards. They will let you redeem rewards at the airport so that made for a nice splurge on the way home for me.

Thanks for the mentioning the Marty Sklar book. I have it on hold at the library to read.

Your FP's look great. Sorry that A&E and 7DMT weren't available. I don't think the A&E waits are as bad as they used to be so maybe you can make it work.

Sorry about the unemployment. I can't imagine how hard that must be. Fingers crossed that something comes along soon.

 

[SarahDisney]

Its taken me a few days but I think I have read through it all! I love all your creative ideas....movie nights, character activities, the board and bingo game boards! I may have to steal some of these ideas when I start planning our next trip.

Thanks! Feel free to steal any and all of my ideas - I posted them so that others could enjoy

How great that you are registered for the Princess 5K! I was supposed to be running the princess half but at the last minute the group I was going with kind of fell apart. I was totally bummed but now I am hoping to do the TOT 10 miler in 2015. You should have a great time!

I am really excited about the Princess 5K, and I hope I do end up going in the end (still not sure if I'll be able to swing another trip so soon). The ToT should be cool ... I love the idea of a night race.

I think planning a few ADRs is a good idea even if you decide to cancel them (just do so before the deadline). For us eating at new places adds to the experience of doing new/different things. I hope you find a few that will work for you.

We can't eat most of the food at Disney (I don't remember if I've mentioned that yet) - we get special pre-packaged food, which is the same at every restaurant, so if we do try new restaurants, it's for atmosphere, not the food, which is why it's not so important to us. I do want to try BOG if we can get dinner (if not we'll do lunch and just order drinks because they probably won't be able to get our food for lunch), and I'm glad we have the Fantasmic package at Mama Melrose's, but more than that would probably be too much for us. My sister isn't wild about the idea of ADRs, so I don't really want to overload her (although I might try to book a character dining if I can get one ).

Not sure if anyone addressed your Starbucks app questions but you can use the app to pay and you will earn stars but they will not let you redeem rewards. They will let you redeem rewards at the airport so that made for a nice splurge on the way home for me.

Good to know, thanks! Our first stop when we get off the plane at MCO is Starbucks, so if I have a reward, I'll redeem it there.

Thanks for the mentioning the Marty Sklar book. I have it on hold at the library to read.

I'm so jealous, my library doesn't have it! I'll probably just end up buying it at some point before the trip.

Your FP's look great. Sorry that A&E and 7DMT weren't available. I don't think the A&E waits are as bad as they used to be so maybe you can make it work.

I've been checking wait times in the app, and it looks like they're somewhere around 45-70 minutes, which we'll wait if we have time. I wish we could have gotten the FP+, but hopefully we'll get to see them even without it.

Sorry about the unemployment. I can't imagine how hard that must be. Fingers crossed that something comes along soon.

Thanks. It's been stressful and kind of made it hard for me to get into the Disney spirit. I'm hoping something good happens soon (the Magic 8 Ball says it will, but that's no guarantee of anything).

Thanks for stopping by and reading all the way through!

 

[ach222]

yay for zero balance!

 

[SarahDisney]

Week 8:​

MOVIE NIGHT: The Jungle Book (watched Saturday night; it was cute, but I just didn’t really get into it)
CHARACTERS: Genie
Our character activities:
- SW: Wore blue, stalked people (inside joke from our 2008 trip … I don't remember the full story, but Genie stalked us. And we haven't seen him since), granted wishes
- Me: Genie Coloring Page! (after a few weeks off, I’m back to coloring … this one was done in Illustrator, not Photoshop, because LivePaint made it easier)

I've been losing my Disney excitement a bit, maybe because the trip is so far away, maybe because my personal life is a gigantic mess, but ... I wanted to do something to help me get more into the mood. So I added a second movie night (for me only, not the sis - she barely has time for one movie night a week). While we're pretty much sticking to animated for regular movie night, my solo movie nights so far have included live-action films ... anything made by Disney. My inspiration for this was the fact that I watched Flubber last week just because I was bored and it's on Netflix
This week's movie: D3 (watched on Thursday night) - I know, I know, it's the least awesome of the Mighty Ducks movies, but ... I was looking at Netflix trying to decide what to watch, and it was there, and I haven't seen it in a really long time (I've seen D1 a lot lately, and D2 a few times recently). Also, Charlie and his teenage angst (nothing more needs to be said)

Here’s what got taken care of this week:

Dining/ADRs:
*On an impulse (well, more than an impulse … more like I saw someone was dropping it and decided to try really hard to get it), I grabbed a Tusker House breakfast on our AK day. I haven’t even told my sister about it yet. I’m probably not going to keep it, but I’ve been trying to think up the pros and cons:

• Pros: Character dining, it’s a new experience
• Cons: Not a great time for us (9:45 - late for breakfast, during one of our FP+ periods), our breakfast options won’t be great and I think buffet will be a more awkward option for us than a regular meal (because we get pre-packed food and can’t eat off the buffet), still not sure I’m sold on two adults without kids doing character meals, we have FP+ for Mickey and Minnie that day anyway and will probably be seeing all of the other characters

From 2011 – See, we don’t have to go to breakfast to meet the safari characters - also, that skirt will most likely be coming on the trip
I came up with more cons than pros, and the pros aren’t that great, so I think I’ll probably cancel it within the next few days or so.


Disney “Spirit”:
- I did some work on the iTunes Disney playlist (for playing on our iPods/computers without internet). I’ve got almost 60 songs, which is even more than on the Spotify playlist … but only about half of the 120+ Disney songs I have on my computer. I think 3 hours of music is more than enough (it is, after all, less than a 3 hour flight … so we’re more than covered for the trip down). I think the last time I made a playlist for a trip was California 2009 … and that was really just songs with “California” in the title, nowhere near as intense. I’m glad I’m doing this, though, because it’s good for making me feel better when I’m not doing great.

*I watched a little more of Fantasia on Saturday night. I still think it’s too bizarre for me, but … some of the music is really soothing. I think I could just “watch” it with my eyes closed (which is weird, because I normally don’t like classical music)


Parks & Plans:
*Some of my FP+ are still not showing up in MDE (app or website). This has been happening since I made them. I have on my schedule to call them on Wednesday (this will be call #3 about it), but I may do it sooner if I’m frustrated enough. I’m planning to ask them for something as compensation (I have something in mind, but don’t want to say it here). My brother says I just have to insist and tell them they’re risking losing my business – I’m sure I’ll have to ask for a supervisor – but I’m so nervous about even asking. I’m so afraid that not only will I not get what I want, I won’t get anything … and I’m sorry but 3 phone calls about an issue that you can’t figure out how to resolve, I think I should get something. You’re the ones who insisted on making everything about the app … if I can’t use the app properly, you should do something for me. I’m a very non-confrontational person, though, so I’m afraid that once I’m actually on the phone with them, I’ll chicken out.

Packing/Clothing:
*Aha! A new category of planning! This is one that will become more important as the date gets closer, but here’s a timeline of why clothing is on my mind right now:

• A few weeks ago - Discovered DisneyBounding ... thought it was super cute, but not for me
• A little over a week ago - Wore my purple shirt, realized it was kind of Rapunzel purple, and thought "I could do DisneyBounding in my own way - not buy anything, just wear what I already have - purple shirt and braid my hair for Rapunzel, and I think I can figure out a few other outfits."
• A few minutes later - Realized that I would want to do Rapunzel on MK day, but I wore my purple shirt to MK last year ... so I don't want to wear it to the same park again and get all confused about when the pictures are from
• Last Sunday - Explained DisneyBounding to my sister and thought about doing Belle (blue dress) to Epcot - all I need is a denim skirt (which is what I would most likely wear anyway), a white shirt, and a blue sleeveless/short sleeve top or vest (which I don't have, but would probably buy because I'd wear it, or I could borrow a shirt from my sister)
• Thursday evening - My mom gave me an old green dress that doesn't fit her anymore, but she thought would be small enough for me to wear only around the house (but too big for me to wear outside) - actually, it fits me perfectly and I can wear it wherever. I see it and think "there has to be a Disney character I can use this for," but I'm not sure I want to wear it to the parks because it doesn't have pockets (I like pockets for easy access to my phone and camera).
• While trying to fall asleep Thursday night - I google "Disney" and "olive green" and one of the things that comes up is Anna ... and it hits me: with a black top, Anna's coronation dress! Ideally the black top would be over the dress, but I'll wear it under just to do it my way. But it's perfect - the color's not exact, but it's close enough. Still not sure if I'm going to do it because of the whole "no pockets" situation, but it's officially an idea. I'd also possibly think about accessories ... but not wearing my black shoes because I'll get blisters if I wear those in the parks (I’m sure someone will recommend moleskin … but that doesn’t help me because I wear stockings or tights with those shoes). I might be willing to spend a few bucks on accessories … if I could find a necklace that looks a little like her coronation necklace (black ribbon, circular pendant – although I could probably actually make that), and a green ribbon to put in my hair (I’d probably wear it as a headband – but also, I may have green ribbon in the house).
• Sunday – I wore the outfit – it fits okay and looks nice, and while it’s not obviously Anna (at least not as I wore it), it’s close enough for me. Although, the lack of pockets is still freaking me out. I always have the camera in my pocket for easy access, and I generally have my cell in my pocket as well (although … detaching me from my cell phone is not a bad idea). As much as I’m not a selfie person … I took a selfie with the mirror to show y’all how it looks:

(I look really weird (and surprisingly tall) in this picture … and the color is pretty terrible and the picture is grainy ... and my room’s a mess, but that’s a nightmare for another week … I’ve got other stuff on the agenda for this week).The outfit came off right after this picture … it was carpet cleaning day around here yesterday, so I spent most of the day in cleaning clothes (/pajamas).

Other:
*My printer now prints in color … but doesn’t print if the black cartridge is in there. I don’t know if the problem is the printer or the cartridge, but at least it prints. I’ll save the rest of the problem for another time.

*I made the mistake of trying to figure out what I’m buying at Disney so that I can budget … so far I have Minnie Ears Headband (maybe), bottle stopper for my mom (this happened last week when we had 2 open wine bottles and could only find one rubber bottle stopper, so we had to use an old cork for the other bottle), at least 1 keychain (one that says 2014; may also buy another one if I see one I like and don’t have). Of course, once I started making the list, I started to panic about how much it will all cost. I need to not worry about it now – I’ll figure it all out, but I’ve got a month and a half to do that.

**My thoughts on Frozen coming to EPCOT (in case anyone cares):
I didn’t like Maelstrom, so I’m okay with it going bye bye. I happen to love Frozen (not as much as the hype, but I do enjoy it more than I thought I would and I rewatch it every so often). So I’m all in favor of it. Plus, this gets me to a pavilion that I would otherwise avoid, so very good job on that, Disney!

I understand that people are concerned that this will “ruin” the “integrity” of World Showcase – but you already have characters all over the place and a movie-influenced ride in Mexico … so I don’t think it will.
The other issue I’ve seen people raise is that EPCOT needs more rides, not just replacing rides. I understand that, but … it’s cheaper to redo a ride and use some of the existing area than to build a whole new area at EPCOT (yes, I know there’s space and buildings there that aren’t really used, but I’d think it’s cheaper to redo part of a pavilion than completely rehab a building that isn’t themed like anything). Disney just spent a crapload on MyMagic+ and New Fantasyland. Despite what most people would say, I don’t think Disney has endless money to spend. They have investors to answer to. If they can do it cheaper, to me that makes the most financial sense. Let them get a few years away from their two big money projects before they start another.

So, in conclusion … I’m excited about it, but since it won’t be open by the time I’m there in November … it doesn’t really matter.

Also ... happy 2nd birthday, Little Mermaid section at AoA.
Here's an interesting tidbit: the reason we decided to stay at AoA last year is because it was such a new hotel - I have a thing about old hotel showers (the pipes make noise!). Best random decision I ever made (this year we're going back because we love it - but I hope the showers are still okay)

Also ... I realized late last week that I'm more than halfway through my planning. Crazy! When we booked this trip it seemed so far away. I've been writing down some of my observations on planning, and I'll probably post them in a few days.

 

[ZehnJahren]

I have never seen any of the Mighty Ducks movies, so I didn't know that D3 is the least awesome of the Ducks movies. Which one is the most awesome??

My Mom and I are doing character dining - 1900 PF. So I don't think it's all that weird. I am very excited about it!

When it comes to calling Disney about the FP+ issue, just tell them outright - "I keep having to call you about this and it's a colossal waste of my time; how are you going to make this work for me?" See what they say. It's not confrontational, it's just a question - you're making me feel like my trip is in jeopardy; how will I know if this is going to be right?

Ooh I need to figure out what I'm planning on buying at Disney! That would help me with my budgeting issue right now! Good call on the wine stopper!

Here's my thought on Frozen at Epcot - PUT SOMETHING NEW IN EPCOT! I mean come ON already; I'm a stockholder and even I would take a little hit to my gains in order to get some new stuff in Epcot (but especially in HS)! I also don't like the idea of putting a fictional ride in a real pavilion. At least with the Mexico ride, they're in Mexico and you still see scenes from Mexico. But Frozen wasn't set in Norway, how are they going to mesh them?

I just wish they'd have put something new in. So few rides in Epcot, and closing one down for so long is just sad.

 

[SarahDisney]

I have never seen any of the Mighty Ducks movies, so I didn't know that D3 is the least awesome of the Ducks movies. Which one is the most awesome??

My favorite is the first one, but a good case could also be made for D2. You should see the movies, they're pretty awesome (and also probably partially inspired my love of hockey)

My Mom and I are doing character dining - 1900 PF. So I don't think it's all that weird. I am very excited about it!

I've never done it before, so I'm glad to know that it's something adults can do. I'm still not sure if we'll do TH just because I'm not wild about the characters (they're characters we'll see anyway) - 1900 PF is something I actually would also love to do (we're big Mary Poppins fans and we'd love to see the Alice in Wonderland characters too), so I may start looking for that

When it comes to calling Disney about the FP+ issue, just tell them outright - "I keep having to call you about this and it's a colossal waste of my time; how are you going to make this work for me?" See what they say. It's not confrontational, it's just a question - you're making me feel like my trip is in jeopardy; how will I know if this is going to be right?

Thanks for the advice! I'm the kind of person who really is afraid to ask for things, so I'm hoping they're nice about it and are willing to do something for me.

Ooh I need to figure out what I'm planning on buying at Disney! That would help me with my budgeting issue right now! Good call on the wine stopper!

We always get something for my mom for her kitchen (although we may also get something in addition to the bottle stopper). I rarely plan in advance what I'm going to get, but since I'm on a severe budget this trip, I feel like I have to, or I might just buy everything.

Here's my thought on Frozen at Epcot - PUT SOMETHING NEW IN EPCOT! I mean come ON already; I'm a stockholder and even I would take a little hit to my gains in order to get some new stuff in Epcot (but especially in HS)! I also don't like the idea of putting a fictional ride in a real pavilion. At least with the Mexico ride, they're in Mexico and you still see scenes from Mexico. But Frozen wasn't set in Norway, how are they going to mesh them?

I just wish they'd have put something new in. So few rides in Epcot, and closing one down for so long is just sad.

I get that. I want something new, too, and I think shutting down a ride for over a year is a bad idea, but I also understand them trying to cut corners.
They're doing Avatar, and they've already announced that they want more Star Wars presence ... they may not be willing to spend money on Frozen on top of that. Maybe it's because I've worked in the nonprofit world, where money can be very tight sometimes, but I understand that sometimes you have to do the cheaper thing even if it's not the best thing in the long run. Whatever you do, people will complain.
That said, I do think they need more rides not themed around movies I haven't seen (I have no interest in Avatar or Star Wars - although I suppose I should see the original Star Wars trilogy eventually). I think a new country in World Showcase would be interesting. And I would love a Cars Land in HS similar to the one in California (that really amazed me, it was just like walking into the movie).

Frozen was inspired by Norway, so I could see them incorporating Norway somehow ... but probably not as much as it is in Mexico. I think that as long as they still have the Norway pavilion, it's better than nothing. There are pavilions that don't have rides at all - some people (like me) may not even go into those pavilions - at least this brings people to a pavilion where they can learn more about Norway. I know that doesn't negate the issue, but it makes me feel a little better about it.

I know my opinion is not the only one out there, so thanks for sharing yours. I'm enough of a Disney dork that I'm interested in seeing what others think about this, even if they disagree with me.

 

[SarahDisney]

Interlude – Half-Planned/Lessons Learned from Planning​

Last week I kind of skated by the halfway mark from booking to trip. Once I realized I was there … I decided to take a few minutes to sit and reflect on what I’ve learned from planning my vacation. These are in no specific order, and I can’t guarantee that they’re coherent.

• We shouldn’t book this far out. It stresses me out, and it’s just not necessary for us. We’ll never book early enough to get all the ADRs we might want (we can never plan 6 months ahead). If we think we need to go crazy for FP+, then we can book at 61 days, otherwise 45ish is probably the right amount for us. (I know, everyone out there must think it’s crazy … but before this trip, the earliest we ever booked was about 50 days out last year)
  
• We have different ideas of what we want to do, and I usually defer to my sister (except with roller coasters that she doesn’t like but we do anyway) – but I can get what I want if I make a convincing argument. Or, in some cases, just ask (like character dining, which I assumed she would say no, but she does seem interested). I should never be afraid to propose an idea, and even if she’s not interested, if there’s something I really want to do, I should insist. It’s my vacation too. If there’s something she wanted to do and I didn’t, I’d still do it (with the exception of ToT … it’s an elevator thing … but I’d happily sit outside and wait for her if she decided to do it).
  
• Just when things seem to be going well, something will go wrong. Seriously.
  
• You can plan and plan all you want … just remember that when you get there, nothing will be as you expect it to be. In fact, things will be changing while you’re planning. Make sure you can roll with it (as long as Disney technology allows you to … I’m talking to you FP+ that aren’t showing up even after 3-4 tech support people attempted to fix you!).
  
• If I’m calling Disney for the second time about the same issue, I need a cup of coffee (or a latte if I can get my hands on one) right next to me. If that phone call had been any longer, the poor sweet cast member would have had to deal with me crying and possibly having an anxiety attack while on the phone with him (I could feel it coming on as the call was ending – and I did cry a little on the third call).
  
• I still haven’t decided whether the way we’re doing movies & character weeks is the ideal, or whether it’s better to have the character of the week be related to the movie. I think there are pros and cons to both ways of doing it.
  
• Doing a park on arrival day isn’t easy if it’s our only day at that park. I really think that in the future we should fly down on a Sunday and do a partial day at MK on Sunday, then have a full day for EPCOT later in the week. We did California Adventure on a Sunday 2 years ago (and this was when Cars Land had insane crowds … but the insane crowds were there when we went on Tuesday too) … why can’t we do a park in Florida on a Sunday?
  
• I can’t get swept up in what everyone else does. I will never be able to do a trip that’s more than 5 days long. ADRs are not the same for me as they are for most people. Memory Maker will never make financial sense for me (unless they suddenly decide to include prints). I don’t have kids, so I really won’t enjoy the same stuff as people with kids do. I need to plan my trip, not everyone else’s.
  
• I really appreciate the fact that Disney has kosher food available (and I don’t have to bring my own food) – and I’m not just saying that, I’ve been places where they don’t have kosher food and you’re not allowed to bring in food (so I’m limited to soda (which I don’t drink) and occasionally ice cream), so being allowed to bring in food and having kosher available is amazing. That said … it can be frustrating to have the same 4-5 relatively crappy options wherever I go, when I’m surrounded by a variety of restaurants that serve so many different types of delicious looking food. I know it’s not Disney’s fault (they don’t make the food, it comes in from an outside vendor), but … sometimes I feel like I’m not getting the full Disney experience by having such limited food options.
  
• I still don’t know if it’s a good idea to go on a trip when my personal life is such a mess (my personal life is always a little bit of a mess, but right now it’s a huge mess). I’m not always an easy person to be around (even when things aren’t so bad), and I don’t know how I’m going to be at the parks. I do know that I’m obsessing over this planning because I don’t have much else going on … and that’s stressing me out. It’s too late to cancel this trip (because of the plane tickets), but after this … I think no more trips until things get figured out. Which, unfortunately, could be a while.
  
• As much as I say I don’t want to “play the game,” I do still spend time playing the game – searching for the FP+ I wasn’t able to get before, searching for ADRs. I know this is how things work and it’s perfectly normal, but still … it seems wrong – not in a “this isn’t allowed” kind of way, more in a “this isn’t Sarah” kind of way. I know something good could come out of this (and some good things have), but it still bugs me that I can’t just leave things alone.
  
• I really do get too stressed out about planning. So what if I can’t do everything? It happens. I know it’s not easy to get everything done in a 3.5-day trip. But I’ve come to expect so much from Disney that anything less than a great experience does disappoint me. I wish I had just said “screw FP+” and decided to just go with the flow.
  
• I do much better with email than on the phone. It’s easier for me to articulate what I’m thinking in an email. Problem is, I think it’s easier to get places with Disney on the phone. I've gotten a lot better about it, but I still do get a little anxious every time I pick up the phone to call.
  
• My love of spreadsheets has not declined over the years ... but when you add the graphics stuff to it ... there might be some people out there (and I might be one of them) who think I'm spending entirely too much time on the computer organizing a trip where I will not have a computer (although the spreadsheets will go on my google drive so that I can access them from the phone)

 

[SarahDisney]

Week 9: ​

MOVIE NIGHT: The Princess and the Frog (the voodoo was a little creepy for me, but it had some okay parts. Overall we didn’t really like it)
CHARACTER: Snow White
Our character activities:
- SW: Changed her computer background; wanted an (awesome) apple fritter from our favorite coffee place, but they don’t seem to sell them anymore
- Me: Had an apple muffin … but no sleeping curse. Weird.

Sarah’s Extra Movie Night: Enchanted (mostly sticking with the live-action theme … plus, it’s a cute movie and I like Amy Adams … she was really great when I saw her in “Into the Woods” a few years ago). I ended up listening to it as background music more than watching it … I just didn’t have much interest in sitting down and watching a movie.


Here’s what got taken care of this week - it looked like it was going to be a slow week, but there was actually some action:
(Fair warning, minimal pictures in this one ... I just didn't really feel like digging them up, but I did make sure to throw in a few)

Dining/ADRs:
*I grabbed a 1900 Park Fare breakfast for our Animal Kingdom day (this was the same day I had the Tusker House, so I dropped that one). Yes, last week I was hesitant about booking a character meal, and now I’m like a character dining booking ninja. I know it's like a 180, but ... I'm weird. I spoke to my sister, and assuming it’s not too expensive (I have to find out what the price is) we’ll do that. After some pretty terrible Disney customer service encounters over the past few weeks, I’m not entirely looking forward to calling again this week, but there are some questions that need to be asked and things that may need to be added to the reservation. I hate having to questions (I’m one of those people who likes to think she knows everything), but my philosophy right now is get the reservation, then get the information, then make the decision. We’ll also have to change around some of our FP+ for the day, but the Animal Kingdom ones should be easy to change (just not from the app, because they don’t show up there).

Me with Alice and the Mad Hatter, California 2009 - we haven't seen the Mad Hatter since

*I know, I know, keep trying, but … I kinda just want to give up on Be Our Guest. Constantly searching and not finding anything gets depressing for me. Plus, we already have 2 meals planned, and table service is more expensive than counter service … and this is supposed to be a budget trip. At what point in time do I give up and just say lunch is the goal, not the consolation prize?

Parks & Plans:
*I managed to grab 7DMT FP+! I was looking for Anna & Elsa, but 7DMT was there. I asked my sister what to do, and she said take it (of course, she was mostly asleep when she said that … but it was what I would have done anyway). It’s for 6:35 PM – 7:35 PM, which is after our BTMRR, so we’ll already be out of Fantasyland, but I figured we could go back to Fantasyland and do it towards the end of the hour window, then go to Tomorrowland for one last Buzz Lightyear before dinner and setting up camp for the nighttime entertainment (although that may be cutting it close … but I don’t mind standing and eating while staking out our place for fireworks). If the line’s short enough earlier in the day, we’ll ride it twice (unless we don’t like it the first time, in which case we’ll just change the FP+ to something else – but I highly doubt that’s gonna happen). I’m just worried how it will affect Pirates & Aladdin, which we usually do after BTMRR, but I suppose we’ll see when we get there how it looks to be working out.

We can't do this anymore ... I hope the replacement is good! (Face blurred because I'm still somewhat trying to protect my sister's privacy... so when I remember, I try to blur out her face

*The FP+ not showing up situation got worse, but then it got better. I had a really bad experience with tech support and customer service when I called, and I ended up on the phone shaking and upset and crying. I wrote an email to Disney, and got a call back a few days later. Basically, my summary of the issue was, “everyone said they couldn’t fix the issue, nobody said ‘what can we do for you?’” The woman (Sarah) who called me back was very sweet and understanding, and I explained to her how upset I was. She finally did something for me – she got me a 4th FP+ for my Epcot day (will probably use for Soarin’) and for an additional day – I took it for my MK day so that we could get Anna & Elsa (although if their line is short, I can use it for something else – it’s a generic FP+ that can be used for anything). I’m very happy. While that wasn’t my ideal reward, it was what I thought I might get from them, and this was a fantastic experience – it was what I expect from Disney. My sister is a little nervous about the 4th FP+, but I’m not (which is a strange reversal of the normal order of things) – probably because I’m the one who actually spoke to them.

*All of our FP+ times and dining reservations are now in my google calendar, so they show up on my phone (because they still don’t in the app). I have notifications set up so that my phone makes noise/vibrates when I need to know something … less chance of missing a window. I know it seems like redundancy (especially because all of the times will be on my printed daily plan/checklist, but … I like redundancies.

*I started working on my detailed daily plans a little earlier than originally scheduled … but will run everything by my sister before I post them just to make sure there’s nothing I’m forgetting (she’ll be home this coming weekend, so I should be able to start posting them next week … as soon as I get all of the pictures together)

*I got two pieces of bad news on Friday:

1. Apparently the cranberry bog is not at Food & Wine this year (it was a pretty lame cranberry bog, but I like free crasins). My sister does not seem to be so broken up about this (I thought she might be … she seemed pretty excited about it last year).
2. Studio Backlot Tour, which we really wanted to do because we haven’t done it since 2008, is closing at the end of September. We’re both disappointed, but my sister is being a trooper about it (me… not as much). She said it means we’ll have more time for other things (I said we could do TSMM 15 times – she didn’t seem excited about that, but we can certainly do it 2-3 times now, and maybe we can do Muppet*Vision 3D a second time).

*So, for reasons that still escape me, I was looking at a Food and Wine Festival map/menu. In the Desserts & Champagne menu, I found something that interested me – Guylian Belgian Chocolate Seashell Truffles. Here’s the inner dialogue it led to:
“OMG! Something Kosher at a Food & Wine booth!”
“But you’re already getting chocolate at Ghirardelli (and that’s free!)”
“But this is fancier chocolate that I rarely get to have!”
“But there are also going to be non-kosher things in the same booth – aren’t you worried about cross-contamination?”
“But I’m sure that (even though it will annoy the people behind me in line) if I ask to see the packaging, they’ll show it to me and open a new package right in front of me if I ask (and for all I know they may even give it to you in the package!)”
“Really, is it worth all that trouble just for some overpriced chocolate?”
“Maybe? It’s good chocolate!”
It’s something I’ll mention to my sister. She probably won’t be interested (she’ll be more into Ghirardelli), but we shall see.


Other:
*One of things that I haven’t mentioned here is that I’m trying to lose weight before the trip (I mean, I’m always trying to lose weight, but I have a specific goal in mind of where I want to be for the trip). After the stress of the FP+/bad customer service issue I had this week, I’ve been eating my stress (it’s an old habit that I can never seem to shake permanently) so I’ve gained a little weight, and I’m at a point right now where I don’t know that I can make it to my goal weight, and I’m afraid that’ll put a bit of a damper on the vacation. I’m trying to decide whether I should just adjust my goal or keep working towards the original goal. It’s a tough decision for me, because I’m a perfectionist and I hate not reaching my goals, but I also don’t want to give up now and say that I won’t do it.

*I’ve mentioned her once or twice that I’m registered for the Princess 5K in February. It probably won’t happen (for a number of reasons), but I decided to start a PTR anyway. It’s a little different than this PTR, because it is less structured and involves both planning information and my running journals. I figured I’d do it because even if I don’t do the race, at least I have all my thoughts and ideas written out in case I can do a future race. If anyone’s interested in reading more of my ramblings, here it is: Keep Knowing & Keep Kicking, Kiddo – A 2015 Princess 5K PTR

And that's all I got for now. Hopefully I'll have a mid-week update (because that will mean good news), but if not ... expect to hear from me again in a little over a week (the problem with early updates is that it sometimes leaves more time between updates).