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

[MinnieLovesMickey]

Day 4:

Thursday October 25​

​

​

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!

​

​

​

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.....

I have the same frrustration with Hollywood Studios. I don't know if it's just having a little one or what, but I'm having the same problems planning anything! I'm not ready for DS to do the TSMM Stampede, and I'm not sure about the shows either. My only plan so far is Fantasmic and Osbourne Lights, but even those days, I'm looking at spending part of the day at Epcot first.

I do love doing the Fantasmic dining package. I really like the food at Mama Melrose's and plus the convenience of not waiting in a big, long line.

 

[PixieMama]

Hmmm, I agree DHS is hard to plan. Maybe it's because there are so many shows and they seem to go on around the same time? I remember on our last family trip we skipped a lot of the shows... Beauty & the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney. I think we even skipped watching the afternoon parade. And we don't care for Fantasmic!, so we skipped that, as well.

LOL, now it sounds like we didn't do anything at DHS! I know we did TSMM, RnR, and ToT all twice. We also watched Indiana Jones and the L!M!A! stunt show. And we did the GMR and let the kids run around the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground. I can't think of anything else...

 

[Chelley00]

I love the Phineus and Ferb pictures. They weren't there the last trip so DD and DS are too excited to meet them.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

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.

AK should NEVER be compared to a zoo. It is simply breathtaking with the theming! I actually get mad when people say they don't need to go to AK because they can just go to the zoo back home. They just have no idea what they are missing, right?

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.

I am trying to stay away for TP right now. It's a little frustrating to have it change so much. I think just staying away from EMH will be very helpful. I heard they just got rid of it a few months back. I would be so sad if they got rid of the MK opening show. It was the music we used when we surprised our DD's with our trip in Jan.

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.

I have heard some negative reviews about TGM lately and I have always been pleased with TP's. Especially considering the cost. I know that they factor more than just previous data into their equation as well. I think if we were to go during a more crowded time we might consider another info outlet, though.

I have the same frrustration with Hollywood Studios. I don't know if it's just having a little one or what, but I'm having the same problems planning anything! I'm not ready for DS to do the TSMM Stampede, and I'm not sure about the shows either. My only plan so far is Fantasmic and Osbourne Lights, but even those days, I'm looking at spending part of the day at Epcot first.

I do love doing the Fantasmic dining package. I really like the food at Mama Melrose's and plus the convenience of not waiting in a big, long line.

I would be afraid to join that stampede with a little one for sure. It's a mad house with everyone rushing over to TSMM! I talked to Ferb about it last night and he agreed that we would probably just wing it and wait in line. With us not being on the dining plan any longer we just can't justify the cost.

Hmmm, I agree DHS is hard to plan. Maybe it's because there are so many shows and they seem to go on around the same time? I remember on our last family trip we skipped a lot of the shows... Beauty & the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney. I think we even skipped watching the afternoon parade. And we don't care for Fantasmic!, so we skipped that, as well.

LOL, now it sounds like we didn't do anything at DHS! I know we did TSMM, RnR, and ToT all twice. We also watched Indiana Jones and the L!M!A! stunt show. And we did the GMR and let the kids run around the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground. I can't think of anything else...

Ugh! That is so true about the scheduling of the shows! So frustrating. And we have left that park in the past feeling like we didn't accomplish anything.

I love the Phineus and Ferb pictures. They weren't there the last trip so DD and DS are too excited to meet them.

They were lots of fun! I am glad we got to be first in line!!

 

[oboedm]

I am so glad you are spending a full day at AK! We really like AK-- the park is so immersive. We love it!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

I am so glad you are spending a full day at AK! We really like AK-- the park is so immersive. We love it!

Us too...we are looking forward to doing some serious exploring while we are there. So many things we have never seen!!

 

[jenseib]

Playing catch up now. I was in Florida last week (and boy do I miss it already), for a short trip and we had a blast!

I LOVE the AK parade. It's my favorite daytime parade. The music just makes you want to dance.

 

[hunterfaimly]

An to do HS Thursday as well. I find this to be the most difficult park due to all the shows at set times. We have been twice before and both times DH and I ended up arguing about where to go and when. Both times they seemed to be worst day of our trip but we will try again. Just doesn't seem the kind of park you can go off the plan and still see everything. It doesn't help that we were ther in December and it was so full 3 of the 4 parks closed due to capacity. Looking forward to those low October crowds.

Noelle

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Playing catch up now. I was in Florida last week (and boy do I miss it already), for a short trip and we had a blast!

I LOVE the AK parade. It's my favorite daytime parade. The music just makes you want to dance.

Glad you got to sneak another trip in there! I am pretty excited to see this parade, I can't lie!

An to do HS Thursday as well. I find this to be the most difficult park due to all the shows at set times. We have been twice before and both times DH and I ended up arguing about where to go and when. Both times they seemed to be worst day of our trip but we will try again. Just doesn't seem the kind of park you can go off the plan and still see everything. It doesn't help that we were ther in December and it was so full 3 of the 4 parks closed due to capacity. Looking forward to those low October crowds.

Noelle

Ugh...I know...we just have to be patient and take the day as it comes. I can't imagine trying to tour the parks with those crowds!!

 

[danabalana]

I'm joining in too

I haven't read it all but I'm getting some great ideas for our trip in a couple weeks. I'm not a huge planner when it comes to ADRs and stuff. We check easyWDW for which days to do each park and kinda fly by the seat of our pants. It works for us. We always go when it's not too crowded since my son is grown.

All adults trip here we come!!!!

P.s. Don't worry about the 40 thing. I just turned 47 and I'm still a kid at heart. The 40's are great!

 

[BMC423]

Hello!!! How did I miss this???

Congrats on getting the TA position!!!

I never knew you worked at a Casino!!! How cool, I've always dreamed of owning one of those... idk why it just seems like a lot of fun.

Yay for all the planning you have been doing you've been busy! You're further along than I am and my trip is about 4 weeks away!

Can't wait to hear more as always.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

I'm joining in too

I haven't read it all but I'm getting some great ideas for our trip in a couple weeks. I'm not a huge planner when it comes to ADRs and stuff. We check easyWDW for which days to do each park and kinda fly by the seat of our pants. It works for us. We always go when it's not too crowded since my son is grown.

All adults trip here we come!!!!

P.s. Don't worry about the 40 thing. I just turned 47 and I'm still a kid at heart. The 40's are great!

Thanks for joining us! Glad you are getting some ideas for your upcoming vacation...btw, LOVE adults only trips!! We did one this past Oct and had such a great time!!
I must confess that turning 40 is bugging me more than it should.
I'll survive...with a little help from my friends and some mixed drinks!
Hope your planning is coming together for you!

Hello!!! How did I miss this???

Congrats on getting the TA position!!!

I never knew you worked at a Casino!!! How cool, I've always dreamed of owning one of those... idk why it just seems like a lot of fun.

Yay for all the planning you have been doing you've been busy! You're further along than I am and my trip is about 4 weeks away!

Can't wait to hear more as always.

I snuck another one up on you did I? I can't believe you are only weeks away from your next vacation!! You must be getting sooooo excited!!!

I have worked at the casino for 13 years. It's a good job, although I wish I didn't have to work midnights. But it's fun, it can be stressful as well, but we have fun!

 

[laura428]

Hello!! I know it's been ages since I've posted to your thread - have been buried with the new job. But all caught up now and love your plans so far! ITA on Animal Kingdom - love the atmosphere there. It's my DS' favorite park - he's a huge animal lover - but I do look forward to when the kids are a little older so that we can take advantage of more rides there.

And yes, what's up with all of the changes at TP? I shouldn't complain - its a great service. But making it tough to plan!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Hello!! I know it's been ages since I've posted to your thread - have been buried with the new job. But all caught up now and love your plans so far! ITA on Animal Kingdom - love the atmosphere there. It's my DS' favorite park - he's a huge animal lover - but I do look forward to when the kids are a little older so that we can take advantage of more rides there.

And yes, what's up with all of the changes at TP? I shouldn't complain - its a great service. But making it tough to plan!

That's great news about the job, though! I am realizing that we are entering a new phase with park touring as Rapunzel becomes more adventurous. We went in stages, there was the double stroller stage, then the single stroller, then the no stroller but still a scared child stage...now we are entering the bolder more adventurous stage...I think I'm gonna like it!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Major update time!!​

Ohhh...that looks pretty!!​

Okay, we have been teetering back and forth between participating in the YES program or not. It was difficult because Stitch didn't want to do anything that wouldn't include Rapunzel and both Ferb and I. There is only one class that they can both be in with their age differences and that was Wild By Nature at Animal Kingdom. The only problem was they only allow one parent in. So, we hemmed and hawed over it for weeks. I kept telling Ferb it was going to fill up and we would be out of luck, and it was going to save us almost $300 on our park tickets!
Ferb wanted me to try to sign up for it in two stages to see if we could get both of us in...one with each DD. So I got him to go deposit the money needed on his CC and I got on line and tried. That's when everything went horribly wrong! Note to self....never try to cheat the system! It won't go well. I am embarrassed by this story, but I figure it might help someone else if we share it.
So I signed up Ferb and Stitch no problem. Then I went back in to sign up myself and Rapunzel. CLOSED! I was soooo mad at myself and unfortunately Ferb got the brunt of it. It was his idea, but I should have put my foot down and said no and told him just to go with the girls and I would stay back and pack as it was our departure day we were signing up for.
So, I had a huge problem. Well, maybe I could sign Rapunzel and myself for a different class and take her alone. Some alone time would be nice and we still needed those discount tickets for Rapunzel and myself.
When we told Stitch she freaked out. I don't blame her because her argument was that we go on these vacations to be together.
I tried to anyways to get me and Rapunzel signed up for another group, but it wouldn't let me. Apparently they have the website set up to deny duplicate transactions. Gee, Ferb, I wonder why? Nope, that wasn't a pretty conversation to say the least.
I decided to sleep on it and took a nap then went to work and thought about what to do.
I got home the next morning and got the girls ready for school and called the YES program to find out how we can fix this. I figured we might have to cancel the whole thing and forget about the discount. But no.....they were AWESOME about the whole thing. They pushed Rapunzel into the class with Stitch and Ferb. He even apologized that I couldn't be included. I told him he was my hero and was going to make a couple of girls VERY happy!
Moral of the story....if you want to cheat the system..DON'T! It will only bring stress, arguments and unhappy moments!

The good news is Ferb gets to spend some special quality time with his girls at Animal Kingdom learning about animals and their behaviour in the wild!

And we get to save almost $300 on our park tickets and use the difference to cover the cost of MNSSHP and hopefully our costumes as well. Depends on what the girls decide they want to be.

So, that's our update on our plans.....next up will be day 5!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Day 5:
Friday October 26​

Today we rest. Sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast in the room...maybe go for a swim and then rest some more. Because we have a big day ahead of us today. We are going to get into costume and head over to Magic Kingdom to be at the gates for 4 pm, because today is:

MNSSHP​

Our first attempt at this was in 2008 with my DCousin. What a mess. We wasted so much time at Chef Mickeys for dinner and then it was already dark when we got to MK and we had a hard time navigating since it was all so new to us. We got no character interaction at all, hardly rode anything...almost got into a fight at the parade... and Rapunzel was scared of everything.
Poor thing this is the closest we got to a smile from her:

Then Ferb and I went alone this past Oct and discovered the thrill that is MNSSHP! We rode everything..got some cool pics taken, met some characters, saw the parade and fireworks in a prime location. It helped that we got in at 4 instead of LATE!
The headless horseman!

So this time we are prepared with knowledge and experience and we will have a wonderful night! We plan to stay til close at Midnight!!! We will probably start the party hour at the princess meet and greet so we can meet the Princes and hopefully Flynn!! Wherever he is we will find him for sure! Also we must meet Capt Jack Sparrow for Stitch! The magic shots over by HM are a must as well. But other than that, we will tour, watch the parade and fireworks and ride and ToT to our hearts content!!
Then tomorrow is another rest day...any plans? We'll see...

 

[blessedby3]

Glad you got in the YES class! Guess my DH and DD will see your DH and DD's there I loved that savings too! Sorry you had the craziness of getting them signed up, but Im glad you got it straight We are going to the MNSSHP on Tuesday evening...the evening of the YES class. It will be our first and we cant wait

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Day 6:
Saturday October 27​

Ahhhh....today we rest..... It will have been a very late night for us the night before. We aren't used to those late nights...well the rest of the family isn't, me? I'm starting my shift when the MK closes for the night! But I digress....
Today we are planning on sleeping in, eating breakfast in...and relaxing around the resort.

But we also will be visiting DTD for sure! Gotta get our shopping in, not to mention lunch at EOS!!! If we haven't made it to Raglan Rd yet then dinner will be there for sure! The entertainment is awesome here!

I owe Rapunzel a tshirt from design a tee...we promised one to her on this trip:

We might have to leave room after dinner for one of these at Ghirardelli!!

So many photo ops even at DTD!

So, that's it for Sat! Sleep, eat, swim, shop....sounds wonderful doesn't it?

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Glad you got in the YES class! Guess my DH and DD will see your DH and DD's there I loved that savings too! Sorry you had the craziness of getting them signed up, but Im glad you got it straight We are going to the MNSSHP on Tuesday evening...the evening of the YES class. It will be our first and we cant wait

They are going on the 30th..I think you guys are on the 23rd? So glad we got in too...even with all the drama!
MNSSHP can be so much fun...make sure you do some research...read some people's TR's this fall before you go so you have a plan!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Day 7:
Sunday October 28​

Today is our only day at Epcot and it's not exactly the best day to go. It's not the worst either, though, so we are going with it. It's the only day that it fits well with our schedule so there you go. TP's has it as a neutral day with a crowd level of 2.4...we can deal with that!

We are ever hopeful that Test Track with be done with the refurb by this time. You never know, even with it being down all summer it can run into problems along the way. We will arrive early to be in early to dash over to Soarin for FP's and then ride and then head over to Test Track to ride and hopefully grab FP's for that as well. We will be dealing with the new FP policy for the first time and that will have a major effect on our park touring of course. We will make our way around FW in the am along with everyone else and then along with everyone else be heading to WS for F&W as soon as it opens.
We are also hopeful that the new Agent P game will be up and running by then. We've done a few of the Kim Possible missions and they were fun...but as you should know by now...we are HUGE P&F fans here! This change was welcome news to us for sure!

Ferb and I really enjoyed touring the WS during F&W fest this past Oct.

We even got to do an impromptu M&G with F&W Fest Mickey with a locally famous Chef that was doing some filming there when we walked by.
Mr Food and F&W Fest Mickey!

I'm not sure how well the girls will like F&W Fest....I think we may have to bribe our way around the WS!! We don't have any plans for ADR's this day because we will be eating around the WS and then come dinner we may just head back to WBC or eat a counter service. We are going to play this day by ear since it's our only day here we don't want to waste time or calories at table service. We love to eat at LeCellier but I just can't justify it with all the lovely tasties available!!

On our list of to do's here:
Soarin
Test Track
Mission Space
Spaceship Earth
Three Amigos
Maelstrom
Figment
Agent P
EAT EAT EAT!!
character M&G's along the way

And I need to rectify a sad omission from our Jan trip...I must get this!
The Welsh Dragon!!

And while I'm at it I might as well get one of these...
Grand Marnier Slush

Oh what the heck...let's get one of these as well...
Pina Colava

I think I need to sell some more Disney vacations just to pay for my bar bill!!

We will probably skip Illuminations. We won't want to get stuck in the mass exodus..it's just not worth it. I have a feeling we will be pulling into WBC just as it gets started so we may catch the higher fireworks from there that night!
That's it for Epcot. Only once this week. Hope we get to eat everything we want and drink everything I want..