Boo to you, and Yo Ho Ho!! An Oct 2012 PTR. Updated 10/22!! Finally!!!!!

[ash-n-brensmom]

I should be cleaning right now...but no, this is where I would rather be! I have It's a Small World music playing in the background and I am happy!

Day Two:
Tuesday October 23​

Today we are going to the best park for your first day....IMHO.....
Magic Kingdom!!

I have relied on Touring Plans in the past for our park schedule and they have been great...of course I don't really know for sure since we are not in any other park to compare, but I digress...
I checked with them again when I was planning this vacation and according to their calculations, MK is listed as a 1.1 out of 10 for this day. Park hours are 9-7. This is obviously going to be a MNSSHP night. We won't be attending the party today, but with the trend that MK is slower on these days we are happy to have shorter hours to get less crowds.

I asked Ferb whether he wanted me to make an ADR for a restaurant here and we both sort of agreed to stick with counter service for the day. We can tour at our leisure and we have eaten at all the TS restaurants that we care to here. Never ate at Tony's and probably never will. With what you can get at Cosmic Rays and CHH we can eat a very nice meal at either. Plus we want to save our meal funds for a dinner show hopefully. I have heard rumblings of HDDR being down for refurb, but I would like to try it once.

We will arrive here early for Rope Drop...
The opening ceremony here is the BEST!!

Of course, it's the only opening ceremony left in the World. But again, I digress...

So we will be there early and take advantage of the low crowds to get as much done here ride wise as possible. We will be attending a MNSSHP later and will probably be busy waiting in line for some of the more reclusive characters instead of going on rides. It will be high on our list for the day to visit whatever part of the FLE they have open. I can't wait!!

Once done there we will likely move over to Frontierland to ride Rapunzel's favorite!
BTMRR!!

It will be nice to see it all shiny and fixed up! I hear now that it will be down for most of the summer due to the refurb being more extensive than they originally thought. So glad we aren't going this summer...so many rides down.

We have to ride Haunted Mansion and POC since Rapunzel will ride with us now! But really we will just enjoy being together as a family and we'll be doing whatever makes us a happy unit!
Depending on how tired we are from lack of sleep or traveling we may stay until 7, or we may decide to head back and swim and have dinner at WBC. They have bbq's by the pool and picnic tables so that might make for a nice way to end the day.

Have no fear, we aren't wasting our only full day at MK. We have another full day here and MNSSHP as well! We still have a lot of time left on this vacation!!

 

[jenny105]

I'm with you on MK being the first park to visit. We're not even waiting our first full day. We're going to MNSSHP the night we get there! I have to see the castle!

I've never seen the rope drop show at MK. We're planning on being there all day for my birthday so I think a rope drop may be in order for my special day.

I love BTMRR! I make a point of riding it during the day and then again at night. So fun!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

I'm with you on MK being the first park to visit. We're not even waiting our first full day. We're going to MNSSHP the night we get there! I have to see the castle!

I've never seen the rope drop show at MK. We're planning on being there all day for my birthday so I think a rope drop may be in order for my special day.

I love BTMRR! I make a point of riding it during the day and then again at night. So fun!

We were lucky that when we were there in Jan we had two full MK days before Dumbo and BTMRR went down. We crammed so many BTMRR rides in those two days! It was the first time I rode at night and it was so AWESOME!!!!

 

[PixieMama]

Came over from my PTR to yours... sounds like your plans are coming together nicely!

I'm hoping to have dinner at Raglan Road... it's someplace we've not been to before, and I hear nothing but great things about it!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

Joining in! Your girls are adorable, before I know it, my little one will be that age! Glad to hear you got your plane tickets. I'm ready to book our flight there but I'm still waiting on my 50,000 Rapid Rewards points from SW to be added to my account. We HAD to add an extra day to our trip because the tickets for Oct. 31 were about 5,000 points more per person.

Congrats on becoming a Disney Travel Agent, that's like my dream job.

 

[sophie832]

DH and I will definitely be going to MK on a day when MNSSHP is that night. We won't be going to the party at all, but we don't want to deal with crowds.

We ate at Raglan Road once, and we enjoyed the food, but I think the place was just too crowded that night...waited 15-20 mins. (I think) after our ADR time before we were seated, and the service was only so-so. The food was good, though, and I think we ended up in a bad mood so I'd like to try it again when we're in a better mood.

Going to your fav places right off the bat is a fantastic way to start the vacation!

 

[oboedm]

Sounds like a great start to your trip! RR as an arrival day tradition sounds like so much fun!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Came over from my PTR to yours... sounds like your plans are coming together nicely!

I'm hoping to have dinner at Raglan Road... it's someplace we've not been to before, and I hear nothing but great things about it!

Thanks for joining us! We really do like Raglan Rd...it's got a great atmosphere! And the food...yummm.

Joining in! Your girls are adorable, before I know it, my little one will be that age! Glad to hear you got your plane tickets. I'm ready to book our flight there but I'm still waiting on my 50,000 Rapid Rewards points from SW to be added to my account. We HAD to add an extra day to our trip because the tickets for Oct. 31 were about 5,000 points more per person.

Congrats on becoming a Disney Travel Agent, that's like my dream job.

Thanks for coming along! Thank you for the compliment on the girls...they are really good kids and we love them to bits!! I hope those points come through soon...does the amt needed go up if the price goes up? Oh, and I am glad that you just HAD to add that extra day. Sometimes we need to make these sacrifices.
I am exited about being a Disney Travel Agent. So far I have made only one booking, but I am getting some great experience helping others with questions and information and hopefully they will lead to more bookings. It's a labor of love, that's for sure!

DH and I will definitely be going to MK on a day when MNSSHP is that night. We won't be going to the party at all, but we don't want to deal with crowds.

We ate at Raglan Road once, and we enjoyed the food, but I think the place was just too crowded that night...waited 15-20 mins. (I think) after our ADR time before we were seated, and the service was only so-so. The food was good, though, and I think we ended up in a bad mood so I'd like to try it again when we're in a better mood.

Going to your fav places right off the bat is a fantastic way to start the vacation!

Surprisingly, our first time at Raglan Road sounds a bit like yours. We chalked it up to being over tired and over whelmed with the Disney experience. We tried it again and had a wonderful time and now it's a fave!

Sounds like a great start to your trip! RR as an arrival day tradition sounds like so much fun!

It's awesome, between the music and dancing and the FOOD!!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Day 3:
Wednesday Oct 24​

Today we are going to spend the day at a park that we have NEVER made it through all the way! Animal Kingdom!

In 2008 we were there in Sept and it was soooooo hot!! We left early because we all felt ill and my cousin's DH even threw up when we got back to our rooms.

Then in 2009 and 2010 we only had a few hours to spend here before we left to catch our plane to go home. It never seemed to need a whole day for us, the girls were too young to ride a lot.

So then in 2011 we were going to spend more time there with a later departure...but then it rained and we skipped that park altogether to go back to MK...we had a wonderful day in the rain with no crowds whatsoever! Then in Jan this year we tried to spend more time again on departure day...we got more done, but I felt so rushed.

This time we have a whole day dedicated to Animal Kingdom and we plan to take our time and enjoy whatever it has to offer! Touring plans has this as a recommended day for AK with a crowd level of 1.7. I found that as AK got busier it was the most difficult park to navigate, so the lower crowds will be very helpful. Park hours are listed as 9-5 with the afternoon parade scheduled for 3:45. We've never seen this parade so I hope that we can hold out long enough to catch it. It's a shame that there is no more rope drop ceremony here...I wish we had been able to see that.

We will have breakfast in the room this morning and head over to be there for opening. We will follow the rope over to KS to ride first thing, we did this in Jan and it was a wonderful experience! The animals were all out and about and very active. We had a great guide as well, her name was Echo..if you ever have her, pay attention, she is fun!

I'm having a hard time deciding what order everything else should be done in. But for sure we will hit all of these rides!
Kali River Rapids (gonna need to bring a change of clothes just in case)
Primevil Whirl (gonna need to bring some Advil just in case ...ow my back)
Triceratop Spin
Expedition Everest (multiple times I'm sure)
Finding Nemo (this will be a first for us)
Flametree BBQ for lunch (also a first for us)
Bug's Life
Rafiki's Planet Watch (maybe)
Camp Minnie Mickey
Walk the trails..we haven't been able to just walk and enjoy the animals
I think we will have dinner at Boma today to make it more convenient, since we are already in that general area. Not too sure how Rapunzel and Stitch will feel about this, but they can eat chicken nuggets and pizza anywhere...why not Boma? And Ferb really wants to eat here again, we ate here in '08 and he really enjoys all the different spices and such.
Depending on what time we get back, we may go for a night swim to relax the muscles and prepare for sleep.
But, we have an early morning the next day...MUST DO ROPE DROP!!!
Time for the Toy Story Midway Mania Stampede!!!!

 

[Chelley00]

We only spent about 1/2 at AK last trip and felt like we missed so much! We didn't even get to ride Everest Partly because I didn't feel great and I didn't trust DS to ride it for the first time with DD.

Are you going to try and hit Lion King? We like it better than Nemo.

 

[jenny105]

I can never spend a full day in AK. It's a half day for me at most. Just a word about the parade - it's the most inconvenient parade route I've ever seen! It's always jammed with people and makes the park traffic nearly impossible to navigate. Chances are you're going to have people who don't want to watch the parade shoving past you toward the exit. Good luck!

 

[blessedby3]

Joining in on your pre trip report. I just finished reading your Jan report and then this pre trip one. We are also going in October and will be there the same time as you guys...and we are also staying at BC for the first time (we have always been on property peeps). My DH likes the idea of more space and we got spoiled staying at BLT a couple of years ago (which we cant afford every trip)...so he says no more POP if we dont have to. We are checking in on the 20th of Oct. My DD13 is doing the Wild by Nature class on the 23rd so we got the discounted YES tickets. Did you ever make a decision on that? We are also going to the MNSSHP...possibly on the 23rd also, havent decided yet...could be on the 25th.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

We only spent about 1/2 at AK last trip and felt like we missed so much! We didn't even get to ride Everest Partly because I didn't feel great and I didn't trust DS to ride it for the first time with DD.

Are you going to try and hit Lion King? We like it better than Nemo.

I hear ya...EE is the ride we waited and waited to go on thinking it would be too much for the girls. Rapunzel has yet to ride, I think she may need another year or so before she will be ready for it. She definitely is the more easily frightened child.
We saw Lion King in Jan and would like to do that again, but never saw Nemo so if it's going to be a choice we will go with Nemo.

I can never spend a full day in AK. It's a half day for me at most. Just a word about the parade - it's the most inconvenient parade route I've ever seen! It's always jammed with people and makes the park traffic nearly impossible to navigate. Chances are you're going to have people who don't want to watch the parade shoving past you toward the exit. Good luck!

I can totally see that being a problem. There is definitely something lacking in the crowd control at this park. I really want to see it, but my DD's tend to not be parade people...we'll just have to see how the day progresses.

Joining in on your pre trip report. I just finished reading your Jan report and then this pre trip one. We are also going in October and will be there the same time as you guys...and we are also staying at BC for the first time (we have always been on property peeps). My DH likes the idea of more space and we got spoiled staying at BLT a couple of years ago (which we cant afford every trip)...so he says no more POP if we dont have to. We are checking in on the 20th of Oct. My DD13 is doing the Wild by Nature class on the 23rd so we got the discounted YES tickets. Did you ever make a decision on that? We are also going to the MNSSHP...possibly on the 23rd also, havent decided yet...could be on the 25th.

Thanks for joining in the planning fun. And thanks for reading our TR!! That's awesome that you are going to be at WBC. We just may run into each other! We haven't made a decision on YES yet. I am afraid it will sell out if we wait too long, but then I am also worried that our DD's will decide they don't want to do it afterall. The money it saves is a no-brainer for us, but kids don't see it that way. KWIM?
WBC is awesome! There is so much space in those units and the pools are great! We can't wait to spend time lounging and swimming!
Thanks for coming along, hope you enjoy the ride!

 

[blessedby3]

Thanks for joining in the planning fun. And thanks for reading our TR!! That's awesome that you are going to be at WBC. We just may run into each other! We haven't made a decision on YES yet. I am afraid it will sell out if we wait too long, but then I am also worried that our DD's will decide they don't want to do it afterall. The money it saves is a no-brainer for us, but kids don't see it that way. KWIM?
WBC is awesome! There is so much space in those units and the pools are great! We can't wait to spend time lounging and swimming!
Thanks for coming along, hope you enjoy the ride!

I think the last time I checked, the Wild by Nature class was closed. I thought maybe you got the last couple of slots. Those tickets are great! They saved our family over $500
Im glad you liked BC so much. I was really on the fence about going "off" property. I am a bit freaked out about the bedbugs...guess I will have to check really good when we check in. Would they just be on the matresses? and do you have to look between the matresses or just the sheets? Do they leave droppings? is that what I am looking for (besides an actual bug)? Thanks

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

I think the last time I checked, the Wild by Nature class was closed. I thought maybe you got the last couple of slots. Those tickets are great! They saved our family over $500
Im glad you liked BC so much. I was really on the fence about going "off" property. I am a bit freaked out about the bedbugs...guess I will have to check really good when we check in. Would they just be on the matresses? and do you have to look between the matresses or just the sheets? Do they leave droppings? is that what I am looking for (besides an actual bug)? Thanks

I just checked last night and both dates that week are still open. So, hopefully I can get everyone on board with this soon!

Google bed bug and you will find tons of info including pics of what you should be looking for. I had my cousin's DH tell me that someone he knows that remodels hotels told him to look behind the pictures on the walls and behind the tvs. If there is newspaper then ask for a new room right away. They use a pheromone on the paper to attract the bed bugs! Make sure you check the head of the bed, mattress and box spring included, that's where we found them. Just be diligent. But don't think that because you are staying in a Disney hotel or not that it makes a difference. The Poly had them last year. They can be ANYWHERE!

 

[blessedby3]

I just checked last night and both dates that week are still open. So, hopefully I can get everyone on board with this soon!

Google bed bug and you will find tons of info including pics of what you should be looking for. I had my cousin's DH tell me that someone he knows that remodels hotels told him to look behind the pictures on the walls and behind the tvs. If there is newspaper then ask for a new room right away. They use a pheromone on the paper to attract the bed bugs! Make sure you check the head of the bed, mattress and box spring included, that's where we found them. Just be diligent. But don't think that because you are staying in a Disney hotel or not that it makes a difference. The Poly had them last year. They can be ANYWHERE!

Wow, thats weird...maybe someone dropped out. I know it said closed last time I looked. Hopefully they will stay open for you Thanks for the info on the bedbugs

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Day 4:

Thursday October 25​

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It's time boys and girls...are you ready? Do you have your running shoes on? How about your body armor? Yes, that's right! It's time for the:

Toy Story Midway Mania Stampede!!​

Disney's Hollywood Studios used to be my most difficult park to plan for. We used to do the stampede and then wonder...what now? But now we have a better plan since these guys moved in!

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After the stampede and we have a FP in hand and we've gotten one ride in, we head right over to the P&F meet and greet to be first in line! This worked out great in Jan, so hopefully it will again in Oct. We don't have boys so we aren't splitting up to make sure we get in for the Jedi training. We love P&F though!

After this it's hard to know exactly where to go. This is a park to avoid this day. But we want to see Fantasmic and we will have had a chance to rest the night before because of the early park closure at AK. And if I switch this with my MNSSHP the next day, then we won't be up to dealing with the stampede after being up late at the party. So for now, this is it.

Park hours are listed as 9-8 with Fantasmic at 7:30. Depending on how busy WDW is this week they may add more hours and another Fantasmic which would help us immensely with our park touring.

We will have to be more strategic with our FP's today. When our window for more opens up I might send Ferb over to get some for RnRC. Stitch will want to ride this for sure this time. She missed it in Jan knowing that we would be back in Oct. Maybe that would be a good time for Ferb to ride ToT as well. He's the only one that rides that anyways.

We will catch up with him there and all go on something together. Maybe it will be our return time for TSMM....who knows? Can you tell I am starting to get frustrated already?

Okay here is a list of what we will want to do this day....in no particular order!
TSMM
Star Tours
Muppets
Great Movie Ride
VOTLM
Animation Studios for characters only..unless Stitch decides she wants to participate
RnRC
Tot
If there is time in between these things we may sneak in The Backlot Tour or Indian Jones. But we have seen these so many times it's not necessary.

Lunch for now is going to be at 50's Prime Time Cafe. I am thinking we might want to try the Fantasmic lunch package, but I don't think we would be happy with any of the restaurants participating. Going to have to think on that one. If they add a second Fantasmic it won't matter as much. We waited a long time last year for the second show, but that was because we got there WAY early. We'll know better this time. Still need to plan for an early arrival in line, just not THAT early.

Dinner is up in the air. We may head out of the park if it gets too busy and have something light at WBC. Or we may just decide to eat at a counter service as we are walking along. It's a toss up.

I just can't help feeling like I have no plan whatsoever when I am trying to plan for this park.

After the mass exodus following Fantasmic we will head back to WBC..a mere 5 minutes away, to sleep....tomorrow we get to sleep in and relax.....

 

[sophie832]

Catching up on 2 days of your trip...

AK is actually our second-favorite park after Epcot. I didn't know they don't do a rope-drop ceremony anymore. We were only there for it once, but they had a little mini-parade. Kind cool, although we were focused on fighting off people trying to cut in front of us so we could be the first ones out of the gate (very mature, huh? ). Although the rides are great, I think what we love most is the themeing. We love all the trees and plants, and just roaming around watching the animals. I know the same could be said of any zoo...but something about AK is different. Probably that Disney magic, right?

Never done the stampede at DHS. We have TSMM at D-land, so we've never been on it at WDW. We are big P&F fans (DH has the same shirt as your hubby), so we will definitely try to catch them in the park this time around.

 

[khertz]

Apparently, I have missed a few updates!! I didn't realize you had started doing your daily plans yet.

So far, doesn't look like our park days will be matching up. Although, I'm sure I'll change some things around as the trip gets closer. I have already done kind of an overhaul of my original itinerary. Plus, Touring Plans keeps changing the crowd levels and recommended parks for that week almost daily it seems like! It's really driving me a little crazy!! But I have to remember that even they say a good plan is better than anything else no matter how crowded the parks are.

When did they get rid of the AK opening show?? That is so disappointing. We saw it for the first time in November and thought it was great. If they ever get rid of the MK opening show, I will just be devastated.

 

[nallysl]

Your trip sounds great! We will be going during Halloween time as well, but arriving the weekend of COlumbus Day.

As far as your park itinerary, I didn't read everyone's posts but have you used Tour Guide Mike? I have used easywdw and touringplans, but prefer Mike's website because he gives you all the "whys" behind the ratings and if you have to make a change, you feel equipped the knowledge and expertise. Also- touring plans does use historical data for that day of the week from previous years, but what most affects crowd levels are the other entertainment options and EMH at parks. Just because that particualr Monday last year was crowded at MK, doesn't necessarily mean it will be this year. That is why I like Mike's analysis of the least/most crowded parks.