Confessions of an obsessive planner... Let the countdown begin!!

[Victoriasmom98]

Hope, that is soooooo awesome about the scratch ticket. A girl here at work won the same amount this past weekend. Great job!!! Ah yes, good old Gamestop! I think my DD lives there!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Weeeellll, timing is not as easy to plan. We had a 7:10 ADR at Ohana and were still in the restaurant, getting ready to leave at 9pm when Wishes started. Not sure if it will be 9 or 9:30, and that may depend on Hallowishes. It "should" be Hallowishes that night (you'll see my scramble to change my whole schedule if it's not! Ack!) MNSSHP is traditionally on T, TH, F, & Sun. Our dinner took way longer than I thought, we had to wait for our seats past our ADR and then it took a long time for the food.

Where will you watch it at Contemporary?? I forgot if there is somewhere to watch from there? I would think a 6:30 dinner would give you plenty of time with no worries about rushing dinner.

 

[-Hope-]

There is a spot to watch from Contemporary- just from the parking lot I thinkbut I've read in more than one thread that it has great viewing. 6:30 sounds about right, thanks! See, I still have much to learn from the master.

 

[-Hope-]

Thanks Ann! I missed your post earlier.

I double checked about viewing from Contemporary and apparently there is a balcony/observation deck on the fourth floor that pipes in the music!

I think we'll plan on this and then we won't have to rush at 1900 PF the following night. Of course GF marina will still be in my contingency plan.

 

[-Hope-]

Gah, parents! My dad has decided he isn't sure about Ohana- I should have just picked a place for them but instead I printed out menus for all of the places I thought they'd like so they could pick. Mom left it completely up to Dad since he is the picky eater. The problem is that he saw pork loin on the menu at Ohana and said, "Yep, that sounds good," without bothering to look at what they offered for sides and dessert. When I pointed it out to him he realized that the meat might just be the only thing he wanted so he changed his mind. It really is fine and no big deal at all since I can't make my ADRs until March but still, doesn't he realize I have charts and tables and graphs that I have to change now.

I have the check for the lottery money but still no reservation. I guess I forgot to take into consideration that just because we have the money now doesn't necessarily mean my parents will so we're still waiting a few weeks so they can recover from Christmas, taxes, etc. I was still itching to do something for my trip though so I ordered my new walking shoes. I haven't bought good, supportive shoes in over 10 years so I figured it was time.

I did my research with the shoes, scouring the boards here at the dis and then reading reviews on amazon and other sites. I finally settled on the Ventura canvas Keens. ALL of the reviews are good on these shoes which was rare in my research. There was usually at least one person who didn't like a shoe for one reason or another but the Ventura seemed to be praised universally. I also picked them because while they aren't the cutest shoes I've ever bought they also aren't ugly (as lots of really comfortable shoes are). Finally, the price was right- I got them for under $50 including shipping. I should have them in a couple of days!

The reviews say that these shoes are good right out of the box but I'm glad to be getting them in time to break them in and test them out. Karen and I are going to start walking three times a week so I'll let you know if they are as great as they seem. It is freezing here, snow last night in fact and it is soooo tempting to put off our first walk which is supposed to be tomorrow but I'm afraid if we wait for warm we'll never start!

Oh, almost forgot- here is a link for the shoes if anyone is interested- I got the Sahara/Natural but was really torn between those and the Iguana/Natural since I LOVE green. I settled for the safe neutral mostly because I live on a gravel road and I figured they wouldn't show dirt as badly when I start walking out here.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Walking in the snow doesn't sound that great to me either! Why are we doing this again? Oh yes, b/c it's good for us. Remind me of that tomorrow when we are freezing our arses off! The shoes look interesting, can't wait to see if you like them!

 

[-Hope-]

Too bad we don't have a mall to walk in! I've been racking my brain for FREE indoor place (so, NOT the Centre, lol) we could walk when its cold or rainy but haven't come up with any ideas. *sigh*

Okay, I just ordered more shoes! In my defense I was only going to look at the crocs flip flops for water shoes and they were having BOGOs on their already marked down shoes with free shipping! I got Kya and I both a pair for $15- and hers have MICKEY HEADS instead of the regular holes!!!! Honestly, I wouldn't have bought them today if it wasn't for the Mickey heads being so cheap and the only size available just happened to be a size up from where she is now so will fit in the fall. Okay, I must stop shoe shopping!

ETA: I found black and red mickey heads in Jace's size- now I'm really done, lol. I was going to just not get mine so I was still only spending $15 but for some reason the men's Mickey heads weren't bogos??? Oh well, three pairs of shoes for $30 isn't too bad! I'm waiting to give the kids theirs right before we go (One more thing in their goody bags- more on that later ) so that they won't be worn out- crocs need to be new to be comfy, not broken in and I want them both to have comfy shoes!

 

[-Hope-]

Okay, this post is one of those confessions mentioned in the title of this thread... you are about to see just how obsessed I truly am.

After spending so much time fine tuning and perfecting my park days and ADRs I was pretty much sucked in... or so I thought! My next venture was to wander over to the DISign boards. Now, Karen had sent me a few other links to the dis for restaurant and resort reviews but I'd remained a lurker for those. So when she sent me a link to the DISign boards I didn't give it a second thought...

I was GLUED to the computer for DAYS- I had to tear myself away so the kids could use it sometimes and I would stay up VERY late because I just needed to find one more thing! T-shirts were my obsession and I emerged with a plan to make FORTY shirts. The kids have enough that they will have to wear more than one per day! I did eventually scale back a little when I started thinking about buying all of those t-shirt transfers and shirts but not much... my current plan inlcludes 35 shirts and two pillowcases. I will make a couple of the shirts for mom and I last so if I run out of transfers I won't have to buy another pack. Really as long as the kids have their shirts that's all that matters but they would like for us to match them so if I have the transfers we will- at least part of the time. I even talked my dad and Robbie into joining in for a couple of the shirts.

I should also probably confess that I have three MWord tables to help me keep track of all of these shirts. I have one table that outlines the disigns for each person, one that outlines what color shirt the disigns will go on and one that outlines what color shirt each person needs. I know, I know, obsess much?

This is what I have planned for us... (I'll post pics later when I actually start making the shirts) I put this in italics so that you can skip to the bottom if reading about shirt designs isn't your cup of tea

Day 1: The kids will both have pillowcases for traveling. Jace's pillowcase says "We're going to Disneyworld today!" and Kya's has Tiana next to a Mickey Head that says "I'm almost there" I haven't decided what color pillowcases to use because I'm going to scour the clearance aisle. Probably light blue, light green, or white depending on what I find.

Day 2: We're going to Epcot WS and I have "Around the world in a day" shirts for the kids, mom and myself to put on light yellow shirts. Robbie will have a "Conquering the world, one beer at a time" shirt with Grumpy. It's a similar design to ours and has a circle of Mickey Heads filled with flags. My dad will have a shirt with Grumpy that says "I don't do matching shirts... unless my grandkids ask me to." I'm not really sure if he'll wear it on this day or not, but since the rest of us will have matching shirts I'm thinking maybe. The guys shirts will be black

Day 3: Going to DHS, Jace will have Aaron Stone name fill on a blue shirt, Kya Hannah Montana name fill on a pink shirt. Nothing for the adults that day.

Day 4: Magic Kingdom- this is the big day that we all have matching shirts! We have a shirt with 6 pirate Mickey heads that says "We be together" and the pirate MHs with our names for the front pocket of the shirt. These are going on white shirts. That evening the kids are going with my parents while Robbie and I have a night to ourselves so I got a disign for them to wear to dinner that says "I have something to celebrate, I'm seeing the World with my grandparents!" For my parents it says grandkids instead of grandparents. These are going on navy shirts.

Day 5: Epcot FW- We're meeting up with Karen and her daughter so the girls have shirts to wear with Tink and Silvermist that say "Friends make life magical" Jace has a Lego Star Wars shirt to wear that day. I'm thinking some shade of green for these shirts. Again, nothing for the adults on this day. This is one of the places I scaled back because I was going to make shirts for us to wear to Wishes that night but decided against it.

Day 6: Blizzard Beach- Jace picked out a Disign with Phinneas and Ferb surfing that seems appropriate for the water park. Kya will have a Wizards of Waverly place shirt, both on royal blue. Nothing for the adults that day but in the evening Robbie, the kids and I are going to Chef Mickey's while my parents go to dinner. The four of us will wear Mickey heads to CM. Kya's has a tiara and an eye patch and says "A little bit pirate, a little bit princess" Jace's has a jedi mickey, Robbie's has Grumpy (again, ) and mine is a pink kind of graphic designed MH. Those are all going on brown shirts.

Day 7: Animal Kingdom- The kids, mom and myself will have tan shirts with a circle of MH filled with various animal prints. There are also names with characters in safari clothes and the names filled with animal print for the sleeves or front pocket area. That night we're going to Park Fare for dinner. Mom (who still dyes her hair platinum) will have shirt with Cinderalla looking over her shoulder and says "Gentlemen prefer blondes" I'll have a glass slipper on a black background that says "The right shoes can change your life" Kya's will say the same thing as mine but hers will have Cinderella on it instead of just a glass slipper. I tried to come up with a shirt for Jace and did have some ideas but nothing I thought he'd actually ever wear again so he's getting a star wars name fill instead of something PF themed. All of these are going on sky blue shirts.

I also had a couple of shirts for mom and I that didn't match anything else but thought I'd put on the same color shirt the kids were wearing but this is where I "scaled back"

Of course Kya also has lots of shirts with Disney characters she wants to bring with her so she may be changing even more than the rest of us.

It's definately a long list... perhaps a *touch* obsessive but I finally finished so now I could walk away from the DISign boards... but wait what about those goody bags I mentioned earlier

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hope, you are so adorable!!!! Yes, a bit obsessed, but hey, who isn't!!!

 

[-Hope-]

Hope, you are so adorable!!!! Yes, a bit obsessed, but hey, who isn't!!!

Adorable is so much nicer than the word my husband used when he saw my t-shirt plans.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Hope, you are so adorable!!!! Yes, a bit obsessed, but hey, who isn't!!!

A BIT!!!!!!! You make me look like a lightweight!

Oh but you forgot the tie dye shirts we are going to make this summer! Fit those in your chart!

 

[-Hope-]

All right, now you guys are just ganging up on me! I admitted right from the beginning I was obsessive, no need to poke fun.

Oooh, tie-dye- I wasn't going to attempt it but if you're going to teach me then sign me up! We can wear them on the plane- see, it all fits in nicely. And you can pretend to be less obsessed than me but I know the truth!!

I'm frustrated this morning because I slept in after staying up to welcome the new year and now I can't get us signed up for the give a day, get a day program. The website keeps timing out and won't load properly because they are so bombarded with people trying to sign up. Honestly we don't need the tickets since we're buying multi-day tickets with the homeschool discount so it isn't a huge issue. I wanted the special fast pass but I also wanted the experience. I think it will be good for the kids to do some service and this is a good motivator to get them started. I'll keep trying and hopefully eventually get us signed up for something!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's Eve and wish you all peace in the new year!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hope, at least you saw the ball drop.......we were all up until about 11:50pm. Victoria was the first to crash and I followed shortly thereafter!!! What's really funny is that at 11:40pm I said "wouldn't it be too bad if we fell asleep now??" Yeah, I think I should have keep quiet!

My t-shirts are all covered with elastics and ready to dye. I am so hoping they come out well. I think I'm doing the Mickey in lime green and then just go for it with the rest of the colors....I don't know. I wanted to do it today, but I had the animal cages to clean out as they were getting smelly!! I think I'm going to have to go on baby alert again.....I think Mama rabbit is pregnant again. Don't get me wrong, I do have them seperated but when Victoria had some friends over, they thought the rabbits would like to play together! Yeah, I'm sure they did! It's hard to tell if a rabbit is pregnant, but she is showing signs. I'll keep you posted!!!

 

[-Hope-]

That is hilarious that the kids wanted the rabbitts to play! Not so funny when you have lots of baby bunnies but the idea of it.

I FINALLY got us signed up for a day of service. Since we live a very rural area it is a bit of a drive but that's okay. When you live this far out you just get used to having to drive to do everything. Anyway, we'll be making paper flowers and cards to be distributed to nursing homes. We'll be there on MLK Day along with Karen and her crew.

I feel like a tag along since she picked it first but there were just limited opportunities for kids under 10 and this was the closest one to us so she'll just have to put up with us!

 

[-Hope-]

Back again, I just can't seem to stay away.

I didn't sleep much last night (I have periodic insomnia) I am BORED- surfed the web and cleaned the house as much as I can and it is WAAAAAY to cold to go outside (SEVEN degrees! ). So, at the risk of being called obsessive I thought I'd come share some more of my plans.

While I was in the midst of t-shirt planning I also had another iron in the fire- my park plans! I knew what days would keep the lines short but Karen was also giving me advice about what order to see things so we'd barely see lines at all. I gotta say, it really helps to have dis obsessed friend IRL.

So, Karen lent me her copy of Passporters and I also found two books at the used bookstore- Birnbaum's from 2006 and Disney World with Kids from 2002. Although some of the info was out of date I was really glad to have the DW w/ Kids because it gives a detailed description of each ride and attraction. The kids and I looked through these together (well, Jace wasn't as interested as Kya and I but he answered questions when I asked) and I was able to determine what we wanted to see and what we could skip. I then showed these to Karen and she gave me advice about what to do first, what route to take, etc.

I also ordered (again, after Karen told me about it- noticing a pattern here? And she says I'M the obsessed one ) the free customized maps from Disney. They let you pick the rides and attractions you are interested in and send a map with those things marked and it is personalized with your family name. Very cool souvenir and also a great tool for deciding our route in the park.

So, now I have a loose itenerary for each park. I know where we will start, which rides have fastpass, what other attractions are nearby while we wait for return times on our fastpasses and what CS and snacks are available in each area of all the parks. I plan on laminating all of this info on an index card so I can carry it with me into the park. I haven't made these yet though because I want to wait until closer to time to leave and get parade, show, and fireworks schedules.

I know that some may find this too much of a plan and argue that it's better to go with the flow. I guess that's okay for some people but we'll have more fun if we aren't waiting in long lines, trying to decide what places have food we like when we're already hungry and if we know we didn't miss out on something we would have really enjoyed. I won't be militant- the itenerary is a loose guide, not a militant plan that must be followed to the minute. (except rope drop, they better be up and out the door for rope drop!) If we see interesting things or characters we want to meet we'll stop and do that, if we're hungry we'll eat, if someone needs to rest we will. What we won't do is wander aimlessly around the park and just hope we find things that look fun. That would NOT be fun for me at all! (And if mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy )

I also came up with a budget during this time- I included: room, tickets, refillable mugs, tips (room and dining), airfare, airport parking, missed wages (I only included what we need to pay bills not our grocery, gas, and spending money for the week), and souvenirs/misc. We're hoping for free dining as is historically done in September so we didn't budget for food. We will send some snacks ahead but since we'd normally have to eat anyway this isn't above and beyond our regular budget so not included. I must admit when I added it all up I had a bit of a shock, its doable but ack, it looks like a lot all in one place like that! I have to keep reminding myself that I have time to save, which I do (plus some lotter money ).

I'll post our park plans and budget in a seperate post so you don't have to dig through it if you don't want- I'm just copying and pasting from Word so hopefully the format will transfer okay.

 

[-Hope-]

Okay, I've already posted my overall plan, this one is more detailed and includes the rides and attractions we want to see and the order that will best help us avoid lines and crowds. ^indicates a park ticket is needed (except in budget area) and *indicates that Karen will be in the same park.

Day 1: Travel/DTD
• Fly to Orlando
• Settle into room
• *Downtown Disney (be sure to visit Lego store)
• *DisneyQuest
• snack lunch
• take water taxi to POFQ for for CS dinner @ Sassagoula Floatworks

^Day 2: Epcot: World Showcase
Sleep in- or get up and swim early, breakfast in room; take bus to DHS and ferry to WS

World Showcase opens at 11:00
• Get KP mission then explore countries starting with mission, moving toward Germany- try to see 3-4 countries before lunch
• boat rides in Mexico and Norway
• China and France for movies
• KP Mission, passports, Kidcot activities

Biergarten for late lunch

Dinner and drinks at Cantina de San Angel, watch Illuminations* from patio

^Day 3: Disney Hollywood Studios*
Rope drop, breakfast in room

Pixar Place
• Toy Story Midway Mania (first, do twice, have someone get in line for FP while kids ride first time)
• Magic of Disney Animation

Echo Lake
• Star Tours (FP)

Streets of America
• Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
• Muppet Vision 3-D

Back to Pixar Place
• Studio Backlot Tour

Lunch at Sci-Fi

Back to resort to swim/relax

Cosmic Ray's Cafe in Magic Kingdom for dinner; Spectro/Wishes

^Day 4: Magic Kingdom
Crystal Palace breakfast in Magic Kingdom, rope drop

Fantasyland
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel
• Peter Pan (FP)
• Mickey’s Philharmagic
• Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (FP)
• Mad Tea Party

Mickey’s Toontown Fair
• Barnstormer
• Donald’s Boat
• Mickey’s Country House
• Minnie’s Country House

Tomorrowland
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (FP)
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress (if our time is good)
• Monsters Inc. Laughing Floor (show)
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority; AKA The People Mover (if low on time or energy then skip, it may make us more tired)

Adventureland
• Jungle Cruise (FP)
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Liberty Square
• Haunted Mansion
• Hall of Presidents

Frontierland
• Tom Sawyer’s Island (can skip if low on time or energy)
• Take WDW railroad back to Main Street

Snack lunch, back to resort to swim/relax

Robbie and I to Big River Grill and Brewery at Boardwalk Resort; explore Boardwalk and may want to walk back to Epcot for Illuminations, Mom and Dad take kids to 50’s PT at DHS or Planet Hollywood at DTD

Day 5: Blizzard Beach*
• ASM for Breakfast
• Blizzard Beach*
• snack lunch at BB
• back to resort to relax/swim
• Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary for dinner followed by Wishes from observation deck (take bus to Epcot then monorail to Contemporary), mom and dad on their own

^Day 6: Epcot: Future World*
Rope drop, breakfast in room

West
• Soarin’ (FP)
• Turtle Talk with Crush
East:
• Mission: SPACE (Green Team) (FP)
• Spaceship Earth
• Innoventions East
• Universe of Energy (Ellen’s Energy Adventure)
Back to the West
• Club Cool
• Innoventions West

Meet Karen for lunch at Sunshine Seasons

Kim Possible Mission together after lunch then back to resort to relax/swim

Pepper Market at Coronado Springs or ASM for dinner

^Day 7: Animal Kingdom
Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom, rope drop

Africa
• Kilimanjaro Safaris (do this first, prob won’t need FP)
• Pangani Forest Exploration Trail

Asia
• Flights of Wonder (show)
• Maharajah Jungle Trek
• Kali River Rapids (FP)

DinoLand
• The Boneyard
• Finding Nemo the Musical (show)
• Tricera Top Spin
•
Oasis, Discovery Island, Camp Minnie-Mickey
• Oasis
• Festival of the Lion King (be about ½ an hour early for this show)
• Tree of Life and Discovery Island Trails

Snack lunch

Back to resort to swim/relax (See if Savannah wants to come with us while Karen is @ F&W)

1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian Resort for dinner followed by Hallowishes from the Marina.


Day 8: Travel
• CS Breakfast at ASM
• Check-out by 11 am
• Fly home

If you see something I forgot to include in my budget please speak up so I can adjust!
Our Budget: $3500 ($2730 + spending money + missed wages)
• ^Room + base ticket: $1040
• 4 Day Premium Ticket: $630
• Resort Refillable Mug: $55
• Tips; room and dining: $185
• Airfare: $800
• Airport parking: $40 (we'll take mom and dad's SUV and split this)
• Weekly checking deposit $450
• Souvenirs and Misc.: $300

Mom and Dad’s Budget: $1625 (not including spending money or missed wages)
• ^Room + base ticket: $740
• Resort Refillable Mug: $30
• Tips; room and dining: $100
• Airfare: $400
• Airport parking: $40
• 4 Day Premium Ticket $315

^Connecting rooms in Jazz 9 of All Star Music Resort- ask for room near smoking area for Dad

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Just found your PTR. Subbing now and going back to finish reading too.

Plans sound great so far. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Notice how she blames ME for everything?!?!?! It's ok Hope, I'll be your scapegoat if you need me to.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Notice how she blames ME for everything?!?!?! It's ok Hope, I'll be your scapegoat if you need me to.

It has been duly noted!!! Hey, I did my tie dyes today. Now to let them sit overnight......

 

[-Hope-]

It IS your fault, I never even wanted to go to WDW until you talked me into it!!! Its okay though since you are my Disney guru.

Just found your PTR. Subbing now and going back to finish reading too.

Plans sound great so far. Can't wait to hear more.

Welcome!

It has been duly noted!!! Hey, I did my tie dyes today. Now to let them sit overnight......

Quit taking her side!!

Can't wait to hear how your shirts turn out!