BOO TO YOU, SANTA!! A November 2012 PTR!-Upd 10/24,pg.14-#205 Costumes and T-Shirts!

[DisneyDad79]

Progress is being made!!! It IS exciting! I hope that you have good luck a tthe fabric store!!!!

Don't get me wrong, progress is progress and that make me happy. I just am not all that creative and would mess up a ghost costume, so I will mostly be an observer for this process...

I have been diligently copying down everything you are doing, as really, its a pretty darn good itinerary... I will leave off the funnel cake as we would rather spend the calories on one of those mouth-watering monstrosities, aka Main Street Bakery's cinnamon roll (with extra "sauce") that I have gazed at longingly on Disneyfoodblog.

I will certainly be making an effort to add a cinnamon roll into the snack credit rotation! I also keep reading things about the carmel place at the Germany pavillion that makes me think 9 credits just wont be enough! Sorry DD I guess you will have to eat these fruit snacks from Walmart while Dad enjoys a giant caramel/chocolate cookie!

I purchased all the kids costumes (all 3 boys are going as pirates, DD cute Mad Hatter) and I will be purchasing mine as well. I am SOOOO NOT crafty in that department! Not sure what DH will do, but he mentioned a pirate.

For our dinner & movie nights we do try and theme the dinner to the movie.

Here are a few ideas on what we have done...
Cars 2 (race track food...we did nachos, chili dogs, cracker jacks and Mater's motor oil sundaes)

Lady and the Tramp (spaghetti and meatballs, ciabatta bread, I made an italian ricotta cheesecake for dessert)

Tangled (angel HAIR pasta, braided scali rolls, blue jello with orange slices made into sailboats...for the scene in the movie with the lanterns)

Up (cheeseburgers, fries, beans, grape soda, vanilla ice cream with chocolate bars crumbled on top)

Lilo and Stitch (Polynesian style feast...Hawaiian marinated chicken breast, coconut shrimp, Hawaiian rolls, fresh pineapple, pineapple upside-down cake)

Those are just a few of what we have done. There is an awesome thread on here with dinner & movie night ideas. Lots of the posts they decorate and play games and such for movie night too, but we dont typically do all that.

Those are all aweson ideas! Unfortunately we don't really have a "chef" in the house, but I'm sure we can come up with some ideas thanks to your inspirering dinners!

 

[DisneyDad79]

Before I forget I wanted to say to DMom!! I missed saying it (in the PTR) to DSis back in April so a belated to her as well! We are going to Ponderosa to "celebrate" tonight. If I never make another post you can assume the buffet at Pondersoa is some how to blame!

 

[havingadisneyday]

Well here it is June 1 and no more posts from you, so must sadly assume that the Ponderosa done kilt ya.

 

[DisneyDad79]

As pointed out, it has been more than a week since the last update, but I am pleased to announce that Ponderosa did not do me in! Actually we ended up going to Texas Road House instead because it was senior night at Ponderosa so the place was PACKED!



Three lessons learned from Texas Road House:

1.Wait for a table that can accommodate a high chair! DS is not ready for the freedom of a booth seat!

2.Get to the restaurant before DS’s bedtime, especially when not following lesson #1!

3.Don’t let a slightly wound-up DD bring a stuffed cougar into the restaurant as other patrons prefer not to be hit in the back of the head.

So yeah, it was a less than enjoyable experience, but the birth of DMom has been celebrated none-the-less.

As previously stated I will be putting down our current itinerary for your viewing enjoyment, suggestions, and ultimately your approval. Before I do that however I have one other piece of news to discuss. I called up Disney to add an extra day to our park tickets and asked the friendly gent on the line to check and see if there were any pin codes listed under my name or DMom’s. He checked mine to no avail and turned his attention to hers. A couple moments passed and he said he did see an offer, it was for our dates, and is was…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………



FRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!! WOOT WOOT! WOOT WOOT!

Now of course when he said it, it was more subdued (and did not include multiple woots), but in my head I heard it as stated above. So, we can keep all the reservations I so meticulously planned and throw away our contingency plans!

With that piece of awesomeness out of the way I will move on to the itinerary. A couple things first, we have discussed it at length and we do not plan to have an “off” day. There are several short(ish) days planned with late arrivals at the beginning and end and rope drop days in the middle. There is only one day we are planning to do RD and fireworks, and that day has a planned mid-day break. So without further ado:

10/31-Wednesday
Leave home at 5:00 PM, stop in GA for a brief rest

11/1-Thursday
1:00 PM-Check in to POR
2:30 PM-Arrive at Epcot
5:40 PM-ADR at Garden Grill
9:30 PM-Head back to POR after Illuminations

11/2-Friday
Sleep in!
12:30(ish) PM- eat CS lunch at POR
3:15 PM- leave for MNSSHP and close the place down!

11/3-Saturday
Sleep in!
10:15 AM- ADR at 1900 PF
12:00 PM- arrive at Animal Kingdom
7:00 PM- ADR at Ohana, watch MK fireworks from the beach!

11/4-Sunday
8:00 AM- Leave for RD at the Magic Kingdom
1:00 PM- Leave MK for mid-day break
5:00 PM- return to the MK
7:00 PM- Wishes Dessert Party

11/5-Monday
8:00 AM- Leave for RD at Epcot
12:00 PM-ADR at Akershus
1:30(ish) PM- Tour World Showcase until we are worn out and then head back to the resort for the night

11/6-Tuesday
7:15 AM- Leave for Animal Kingdom
8:00 AM- Pre opening ADR at Tusker House
5:00 PM- Leave AK and eat CS dinner at Mara in AKL, the head back to POR for the night

11/7- Wednesday (DD’s actual B-Day!)
7:00 AM- Leave for the Magic Kingdom
8:00 AM- Pre opening appointment at Bibbity Bobbity Boutique for DD!
11:30 AM- ADR at Crystal Palace
3:30 PM- Leave the Magic Kingdom
6:15 PM- ADR at 1900 Park Fare

11/8- Thursday
7:00 AM- Leave for Hollywood Studios (HS is open from 8:00AM-4:00PM this day)
4:00 PM- Return to POR
7:00 PM Head to DTD
8:00 PM ADR at T-Rex

11/9- Friday
Sleep in!!
12:30(ish) PM- eat CS lunch at DTD
3:15 PM- leave for MVMCP and close the place down

11/10- Saturday
Sleep in!
10:00 PM- Check out of POR
10:45 PM- ADR at Chef Mickey’s
12:45 PM- Enter Hollywood Studios (in hopes that the Osbourn Family Lights will be up!)
8:00 PM- Leave HS for home, drive through the night

11/11- Sunday
Arrive home around 1:00 PM and crash like there is no tomorrow!



So all in all we have 2 regular MK days, 2 MK parties, 2 Epcot days, 2 AK days, and 2 HS days. I think we will get to see every priority attraction we want to without any trouble!

So what do you think? I know there are some problematic areas (11/3 Ohana, 11/4 RD), but overall I think the plan will work. Am I crazy? Do you take break days? Do you ever open and close a park without a break? Is 5-7 hours enough time to get a decent overview of the World Showcase? I am looking forward to your comments and suggestions!






Next up…………Something about our trip and/or Disney in general that is yet to be determined!!!!!!!!!

 

[havingadisneyday]

FREEEEEEEEEEEE DINING! (insert singing like an opera star here) awwwwwwwwesommmmmmmme! (very nice singing, by the way). So, anyhooos, I think you're PTR must be getting about complete... looks like you have everything ready to go except your suitcases. I wish I had the wherewithall to start a pre-trip report, but right now the "excitement" is waning just a very tiny, tiny bit (or is it a sugar low lol from withdrawal of the food blog)... you make those ADRs and then you feel pretty good about things, and then you see you're still 179 days out, and its like bleh... now what? Anyway, can't wait to read your trip report in a few months and see how all your plans came to fruition (love that word "fru-ition". So get busy sewing your shirts and embroidering your hats... October will be here before we know it (here's hoping)!

 

[DisneyDad79]

FREEEEEEEEEEEE DINING! (insert singing like an opera star here) awwwwwwwwesommmmmmmme! (very nice singing, by the way). So, anyhooos, I think you're PTR must be getting about complete... looks like you have everything ready to go except your suitcases. I wish I had the wherewithall to start a pre-trip report, but right now the "excitement" is waning just a very tiny, tiny bit (or is it a sugar low lol from withdrawal of the food blog)... you make those ADRs and then you feel pretty good about things, and then you see you're still 179 days out, and its like bleh... now what? Anyway, can't wait to read your trip report in a few months and see how all your plans came to fruition (love that word "fru-ition". So get busy sewing your shirts and embroidering your hats... October will be here before we know it (here's hoping)!

Yeah, I am in the waning statge for sure. Still to far out to be just around the corner, but not much left to do with planning. I mess around with my touring plans about everyday, but at this point I'm just fine tuning and waiting for more info. It seems there is something at every park that could have some impact on our plans. Of course MK has the BatB/LM sections and I am interested to see who goes in to Pete's Silly Sideshow. Epcot has Test Track. It was just announced that one of the stores in Animal Kingdom will be converted to an indoor M&G, so that could have a small impact. Hollywood Studios has that new PotC walk through that should be open by then as well. So I'm keeping interesed by just tracking all the progress, but I'm still definately in a lull. I think I might just start throwing one of our touring plans onto the PTR on the weeks we don't accomplish anything else, just to keep it alive.

 

[DisneyDad79]

Well, we are certainly in a lull in regards to planning. ADRs are made, touring plans have been created, and very little progress has occurred in regards to costumes, shirts, or autograph books. Only 129 days to go!!!!!!! Can you feel the excitement?!?!?!?!?!?

That said, there is a still a little news to report! First off, we have decided to drop the dinner at 1900 Park Fare. We figure we can pretty easily meet the characters in the park with the exception of Prince Charming and we already have a breakfast planned there. In its place we have chosen Boma! Obviously this is a more adventurous choice, but we figure we will be fine considering it is a buffet.

The other big change is that we have decided to fly down and drive back. We already booked the flight and will be heading out at 9:00 AM on 11/1! We got a great rate on Airtran and none of us were excited about the idea of driving a friend’s vehicle. I have already reserved a van for the return trip and got a pretty solid rate there as well. The only down side is that we will not have a car while there, but we have all dealt with Disney transportation before and are pretty comfortable with it.

We are having a get together on Sunday to watch Brave!



I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I had no idea that J-Lo was Scottish. It just goes to show that you learn something new every day! Anyway, this will be DS1’s first theater movie, so hopefully all goes well. I think we are going to have a meeting after words to prioritize the World Showcase a little more, buy tickets to the holiday parties, and possibly get moving on the costumes! I’ll keep all one of you informed as new details arise!

 

[havingadisneyday]

Had to LOL at your little girl's picture of "excitement"... I see a lot of that myself around here. I did NOT know that about Jennifer .. Scotland, eh? I could have sworn she was from Cypress, but then what do we know? Once again you have taught your readers and lurkers something very, very, very, very.........well, you've taught us something, I'm sure. Anyhoo. Congratulations on adding your $$ to the billions upon billions that Brave has already raked in and I hope you and your family enjoy it... feel free to post spoilers here next week. I did go back up through your posts and look at the truly excited, non-staged photos of "WE'RE GOIN' TO DISNEY!!" as I forgot to post earlier on that they are truly magical. Gets you back in the spirit of things doesn't it??? So congratulations on making it through another month, and only a few more to go. Lucky for us, we are NOT in Orlando this week (or the rest of hurricane season -- see how smart we are?)... and here's hoping for fair weather when we DO go (no offense to those going between now and the end of September -- of course).

 

[DisneyDad79]

Well, it has been a while since my last update. Let’s see if I can still remember how to do this.

Emoticons?



Check!

Sarcasm?

(I’ve TOTALLY forgotten how be sarcastic…)

Check!

Small bits of information that almost no one (aside from me) cares about, not even my own family?

CHECK!!

Looks like we are ready to rock and/or roll!!



So what Disney/planning related things have happened over the last 37 days? It’s hard to come up with an exact number, but I would say it is somewhere between three and one thousand, probably on the low end of that spectrum. I guess I will number it so we can all keep track without all that pesky counting getting in the way!

1. We did see Brave and the kids were AMAZING! I was honestly shocked at how well behaved they were. Don’t get me wrong, they are pretty good kids overall, but both of them were born with a rare disease called antsinthepantsitis. This tragic condition makes it hard for them to sit still for long periods of time, especially if being quite is also a requirement. Don’t worry, I am organizing a telethon to raise money and awareness for this cause. Kids aside, the movie itself was much better than I anticipated and I think everyone enjoyed it. I would give it a ranking of 5-7 among Pixar films, putting it behind the three Toy Story movies and Monsters Inc, and in a virtual tie with Up and Wall-E. It just depends on the mood I’m in.

2. We finally bought tickets for the 11/2 MNSSHP! I think it is safe to say we are all exceptionally stoked about this. We may not have costumes yet, but at least we are going to the party!



3. I made up all of the images for the kid’s autograph books. We have not printed anything yet, but it is all ready to go. I think we will wait till a bit closer as there are some strong, yet unconfirmed, rumors about a couple character additions between now and our trip. Most notable are Periwinkle and Wreck-It Ralph. Imagine how foolish our kids will look if they go to meet Periwinkle without a dedicated autograph page. They would probably be shamed right out of the park.

Periwinkle: "Why don't they have a picture of me?" Tink: "I don't know, I guess they hate you..."

4. I have purchased some Tink prizes to help get the kids up and moving in the morning as well as bags to put them in. Still need to put it all together, but the supplies have almost all been acquired.

5. We decided to tentatively drop Chef Mickey’s in favor of Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater on our last day. With not having a car it is just a hassle to get from one resort to another and we will be seeing the Fab 5 on a few occasions anyway. This is not a final, final decision, but it is close to.



6. We tentatively decided to drop Epcot (in favor of MK) from the first day and add it to the morning of the Halloween party. This will give us one full day and one morning at Epcot. I don’t think we will have to hard of a time fitting our priorities in; we just might not have as much time to meander around World Showcase. It really depends on how the kids do. If they sleep in the stroller we might be able to stay at Epcot from open to close on our full day, but in all likelihood we will need a mid-day break to keep a melt-down at bay. No biggie and it lets us see the Main Street Electrical Parade without switching a slow MK day for a busy one. A fair trade in my book.

So I think about covers it. What did that come up to, 6? I guess I sort of overshot with the 1000. So what do you think about our adjustments? Did you like Brave? Do you do Tink Prizes or autograph books? I would love to read your feedback on any and all of the topics above! Hopefully these updates will get a little more frequent again as we close in the big day, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Until next time, KEEP IT REAL HOMIES!!

 

[havingadisneyday]

holy cannolies, how did I miss your update a few days ago??? Must have gotten lost in the other 12,006 TR's I subscribed to to whet my ever growing appetite for all things Disney on the DIS. But, being the proper and etiquette-minded person that I am, I am here, to offer support and financial aid. Oh, no, ooops, I meant KOOL ade... I am making KOOL ade while reading your trip report (WHAT? at 8:30 am?... don't judge).
Anyhooo, I am glad you and your fabulous family enjoyed Brave. Part of mine did too, and the other part (me) didn't go. I KNOW! I had to stay with the 2-year-old because, well, she wasn't invited (again, I KNOW!!!). Anyway, hopefully it will come out on DVD soon (like Thanksgiving) and I can watch it before we go. Can you believe its only a couple more months before ya'll are waltzing around the world eating like maddogs and having to glug Milk-of-Magnesia every evening??? Betcha cn't WAIT! I SO want to start a TR, but unfortunately ONE of the two kids here can read, and she likes to snoop about. Ugh. Snoopers. Don't you just get SO annoyed when they can read???? So, anyhooo, all of your plans sound awesome as usual... I like the Epcot plan.... and as always, am diligently copying it down (again, we will NOT be there the same time as your family, so please don't feel you're being stalked while at WDW and report that feeling to disney secret police... you will only embarrass yourself). I leave you all with a song (you'll probably have to make one up and sing it in your heads, because these emoticons don't really make any noise).

 

[DisneyDad79]

holy cannolies, how did I miss your update a few days ago??? Must have gotten lost in the other 12,006 TR's I subscribed to to whet my ever growing appetite for all things Disney on the DIS. But, being the proper and etiquette-minded person that I am, I am here, to offer support and financial aid. Oh, no, ooops, I meant KOOL ade... I am making KOOL ade while reading your trip report (WHAT? at 8:30 am?... don't judge).
Anyhooo, I am glad you and your fabulous family enjoyed Brave. Part of mine did too, and the other part (me) didn't go. I KNOW! I had to stay with the 2-year-old because, well, she wasn't invited (again, I KNOW!!!). Anyway, hopefully it will come out on DVD soon (like Thanksgiving) and I can watch it before we go. Can you believe its only a couple more months before ya'll are waltzing around the world eating like maddogs and having to glug Milk-of-Magnesia every evening??? Betcha cn't WAIT! I SO want to start a TR, but unfortunately ONE of the two kids here can read, and she likes to snoop about. Ugh. Snoopers. Don't you just get SO annoyed when they can read???? So, anyhooo, all of your plans sound awesome as usual... I like the Epcot plan.... and as always, am diligently copying it down (again, we will NOT be there the same time as your family, so please don't feel you're being stalked while at WDW and report that feeling to disney secret police... you will only embarrass yourself). I leave you all with a song (you'll probably have to make one up and sing it in your heads, because these emoticons don't really make any noise).

No worries on the late reply, I'm just glad my one active follower is still, well, active! I know there are still a few lurkers, but it's nice to have feedback, so thank you!

As for the reading thing, we are steering clear of that whole hornets nest. There will be none of that fancy book-learnin' going on in this household!

Also, I won't need to go to the Disney Secret Police, my tin foil hat keeps me safe at all times!

 

[Corjack]

I am still here, will be more often now that summer is winding down and school has started. We still have not bought our party tickets. I will in the next few weeks. I have also gotten some special things for the kids and i have oldest daughters Halloween outfit(was bought for her bday). I am really starting to get super excited and in 'Disney' mode!!! I CANNOT WAIT!


We are at 79 days!!

 

[DisneyDad79]

I am still here, will be more often now that summer is winding down and school has started. We still have not bought our party tickets. I will in the next few weeks. I have also gotten some special things for the kids and i have oldest daughters Halloween outfit(was bought for her bday). I am really starting to get super excited and in 'Disney' mode!!! I CANNOT WAIT!


We are at 79 days!!

Hey Corjack! Sorry I missed this reply last week. We are getting pretty excited too! I always lurk on your PTR and will make sure to keep an eye on it in the weeks to come!

 

[havingadisneyday]

Its SEPTEMBER! (just sayin').

 

[Corjack]

It's OCTOBER!!!! Where the devil are you hiding???

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey I'm subbing on... I started reading the first page and it made me laugh...

So I'm going to go back to read the rest...

It looks like you found yourself some readers...

 

[havingadisneyday]

Maybe he needs POKING. Hey, you! Times a wasting! What's the plan now????

 

[DisneyDad79]

Its SEPTEMBER! (just sayin').

Not any more it's not!! Sorry for the month+ turnaround on this response...

It's OCTOBER!!!! Where the devil are you hiding???

I've been here, just kind of stuck in the planning lull funk. That said, I am now in full-blown excitement mode again and can't wait for the next 25 days to fly by!!

Hey I'm subbing on... I started reading the first page and it made me laugh...

So I'm going to go back to read the rest...

It looks like you found yourself some readers...

Thanks for joining in and !! I hope you enjoy what you read and I appreciate any advice you might have!

Maybe he needs POKING. Hey, you! Times a wasting! What's the plan now????

No poking needed, I am working on a comprehesive update right now! I should have it up either tonight or tomorrow! I wouldn't lie about something like that...

 

[Corjack]

YAY your Back!!!! I am super excited too!!! Let us see them halloween costumes!!! ANd just how many planned outfits came to be!!!

 

[DisneyDad79]

So it’s been a long (LOOOOOOOOOOOONG!) time since my last post. Lots of things have happened and the once huge list of to-dos is dwindling by the day! Being the uber-planner that I am, I am a little agitated at the number of “up-in-the-air” projects that are going on right now. On the bright side, that is keeping things interesting! At this point (just 22 days away) there is still a chance that characters will move at Animal Kingdom, the POTC walkthrough will open at HS, Test Track might have soft openings at Epcot, and that some (possibly even all) of the new Fantasyland area might be open. It’s also entirely possible that none of those things will take place! How can I plan out every single second with all these variables? The trip is already RUINED!! I digress…

Just a quick warning, this update will be very (very) light on pictures, but I will do a basically all picture update on Sunday, since we have a planning meeting on Saturday. So now with just 22 short days left what have we done and what is left to be done?

DONE
Room/Dining Plan/Park Tickets- Paid in Full!

Plane tickets there- Paid in Full!

Rental car back- Reserved!

ADR’s- Completed/Revised/Completed/Revised……

Touring Plans- Completed/Revised/Completed/Revised/ Completed/Revised/Completed/Revised/ Completed/Revised/Completed/Revised/ Completed/Revised/Completed/Revised/ Completed/Revised/Completed/Revised/ Completed/Revised/Completed/Revised……

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets for 11/2- Bought!

Wishes Desert Party for 11/7- Reserved and paid for!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets for 11/9- Bought!

Tink Prize Bags- Bought, filled, and sealed!

Family T-Shirts- One set bought, three sets made!!

Costumes- 4/6 bought, patterns and fabric bought for last two!

Autograph Books- Pages designed, waiting to be printed and assembled!

Photopass- Bought and upgraded to PLUS!!

LEFT TO DO
Finish Costumes

Finish Autograph Books

Pack

Buy a few last minute items (cheap double stroller, snacks, ponchos, etc)

It’s pretty easy to see that the first group is much bigger than the second group! Now of course there are a few things I left off the to-do list as they are an ongoing process. These include things such as weaponizing the stroller, getting an ultra bright flash to take pictures on dark rides, teaching the kids to stack two high on my shoulders for parade/ firework viewing, practicing fake sleeping so I don’t have to give up my seat on the bus to the elderly and infirmed, and of course working on my gimp walk in order to get a GAC card (j/k, j/k, j/k X 1000!). I also practice daily at screaming at my kids in public, berating low wage workers for things that are beyond their control, and just generally inflating my sense of entitlement. THIS TRIP IS GOING TO BE EPIC!!! (Well maybe not as epic as that sitiation, but still, pretty epic.)

In all seriousness, our general excitement is growing at an exponential pace as the trip approaches! Luckily we have plenty to keep us busy over the next few weeks. In addition to the last trip preparations we also have a trip planning meeting this week end (might try to see Frankenweenie) , father-in-law’s birthday the following weekend, and the family birthday party for DS and DD the weekend before we go!

In addition to Sunday's picture update, I’ll try to get in at least one or two more updates before we go as well as respond to any comments, questions, tips, or insults that you may want to throw my way!

Without further ado I present the one and only picture for this update: Dsister’s planned make up as the Queen of Hearts!

Questions, Comments?