Don’t you turn that commercial- it’s my 30 second Disney fix! TR Link Posted

[britt_ji]

Just read through your PTR. It looks like your plans are coming along great! I love the idea for the first haircut at Harmony. That is such a great memory to have The Jungle Cruise story was definitely cringe-worthy. The pictures you posted are precious, though. Especially, the kids watching the parade! Can't wait to see what else you have planned...

 

[leshunlenese]

hey im joining you. i just finished reading and you have a beautiful family. the pics are great. Im having the same question as you about DS 1st haricut. we were there last dec but his hair still was not long enough and know 3 months later its like wierd.lol longer in some places and so im thinking it would be ok for me to trim it until dec. maybe??. He has curly hair too where im not sure how. its like straight and his parents got nappy coarse hair. i hope those plane tickets go done for you!

 

[lbuzz52]

Just read through your PTR. It looks like your plans are coming along great! I love the idea for the first haircut at Harmony. That is such a great memory to have The Jungle Cruise story was definitely cringe-worthy. The pictures you posted are precious, though. Especially, the kids watching the parade! Can't wait to see what else you have planned...

thanks for coming over! Thankfully i can laugh at the story now. And i'm sure i'll have an even deeper laugh when i tell it in front of friends when she is a teenager

I can't believe that May is almost here!

hey im joining you. i just finished reading and you have a beautiful family. the pics are great. Im having the same question as you about DS 1st haricut. we were there last dec but his hair still was not long enough and know 3 months later its like wierd.lol longer in some places and so im thinking it would be ok for me to trim it until dec. maybe??. He has curly hair too where im not sure how. its like straight and his parents got nappy coarse hair. i hope those plane tickets go done for you!

I probably could have cut his hair 6 months ago; I wanted to when he was bald, and everyone laughed at me. i told them then i was going to have his first haircut at Disney- what can i say, i'm stubborn and not giving in. Others have voted a trim by mom doesn't count as a cut, so i'm sure they'd give you a similar vote

 

[lbuzz52]

So a while back, i ordered these autograph books along with a pair of pool flip flops and sunglasses and a tee for each kid.
(p.s. i need to take loot pictures)

They are the neat ones that have a spot for a picture on the left and for an autograph on the right. I figured it would be a nice souvenir because, well, i haven't finished the scrapbook for the last trip yet. Unfortunately, i didn't read closely. The princess one has 24 pages and the Park one has i think 18. Well, that just isn't going to be enough pages. We will see that many characters at meals alone. So my friend offered the suggestion that her son keeps using old books until they are full. Maya has a little bit of space in her old basic book so we are going to take that one for her. And i decided to get James his own new blank book.

Disney store offered free shipping this week with any parks merchandise purchase so i ordered it. I also added in this:

For the personalization i said "You are going to Disney World!"
well, they sent me an email today and i'm not allowed to use that term or the acronym WDW (or a bunch of other fine print)

So i'm torn now. i mean, my DD cant' read- but Disney is a word she recognizes. Maybe i should just tell them to cancel it? i dont need another stuffed animal. I can't think of any creative thing to have them write that will let my kids in on the secret.
Any suggestions???

 

[Corrine 1973]

How about "You are going to the most Magical Place on Earth."?

They can't have any problems with that, can they?

 

[britt_ji]

I also ordered the same stuffed toy. I wanted it to say "Welcome to Disney World," but I got the call a few days later letting me know I had to change it. The CM told me I could still use Disney, so I ordered it with "Welcome to Disney, Sariah!" for my niece. Maybe you could just get "You are going to Disney". The other suggestion is great as well. I was also told that it would be cancelled after 48 hours if I didn't reply.

 

[lbuzz52]

How about "You are going to the most Magical Place on Earth."?

They can't have any problems with that, can they?

that's a really good idea! Thanks!

I also ordered the same stuffed toy. I wanted it to say "Welcome to Disney World," but I got the call a few days later letting me know I had to change it. The CM told me I could still use Disney, so I ordered it with "Welcome to Disney, Sariah!" for my niece. Maybe you could just get "You are going to Disney". The other suggestion is great as well. I was also told that it would be cancelled after 48 hours if I didn't reply.

That's so funny that you had the same idea. Great minds, right?

but Disney alone- that works!! I just skimmed the email quickly earlier and got all in frustrated mode. I just read it more carefully and it does actually say that so yeah!! It's odd the way they worded it. You can't use this. You can't use that. You can use this. You can't use that you can't use this.
But Disney alone works because she recognizes that word from tv and her babies etc! Thanks!

Off to amend!

 

[lbuzz52]

This is our one and only day at Epcot. Initially, i was going to add an evening here too- mostly because they have all the good food
But i later decided to switch our DHS touring to a non fantasmic day and use that extra evening to go back to see fantasmic.

Here is the scoop from touring plans-
Flower and Garden Festival is going on at Epcot, but Epcot's crowd level today should be lower than average for this week.
•Crowd Level: 2.3 out of 10

Hours: 9am to 9pm
Illuminations at 9pm


We have two ADR's this day-

Le Cellier at lunch
Akershus at dinner


Last time we were there, we barely hit the World showcase. It was food and wine, the last day of the trip, and half our group was grumpy. We also didn't get over there until after dark. So i'm looking forward to seeing this. I figured I'd just aim for kidcot stations and other than that go with whatever grabs us. Of course, i'd love some direction if anyone has a can't miss shop or show or site. I do want to do the pick a pearl with dd.

Must do's-
Soarin
Turtle Talk with Crush
Explore the aquarium area
Test Track (although dh says he can skip that)
Innovations- any don't miss exhibits here?
Club Cool
Kidcot
Pick a Pearl
Random characters in the world showcase

i have a feeling that the kids will also add Nemo and Spaceship Earth

I'd love some insite towards your favorites in the World showcase.

(And still comtemplating their clothing)

 

[chepic]

hey...we will be there the same time. Staying at AKVillas.

We have been doing the autograph book since our oldest son (now 9) was 3 on his 1st trip, and he loves looking at the signatures and pictures. A great keepsake. Easiest way to get signatures is with the character breakfasts!

Have fun planning some more.

Cheryl

 

[lbuzz52]

hey...we will be there the same time. Staying at AKVillas.

We have been doing the autograph book since our oldest son (now 9) was 3 on his 1st trip, and he loves looking at the signatures and pictures. A great keepsake. Easiest way to get signatures is with the character breakfasts!

Have fun planning some more.

Cheryl

thanks for stopping by! same time, huh? it seems like most of the May trips i've found on the board are for the Memorial Day week. Hopefully that means our week is lighter?
glad to hear that you still enjoy the autograph books. i agree, they are great souvie's! we have lots of character measl planned and can't wait!

 

[lbuzz52]

Its only about 6 weeks from our trip now!!!
I've been checking the airline tickets weekly on Tues/Wed when prices are there lowest. They haven't gone back down to the super low price i saw before i had the trip officially planned. They are down from the highest price i saw though. And each week the cheapest price of the week seems to be about $10 higher than the week before. So i decided to give in. I'll keep checking every week and if they do go down i'll just call for my credit.
So we ended up paying about $50/ ticket more than the absolute lowest price but aobut $120 lower than the highest.
But- my dad has a ton of frequent flyer mile so he decided to gift us one ticket. So overall, we ended up paying $60 less than then we would have if we bought all 4 at the lowest price Im definitely happy about that because last week i had to buy a new radiator.

And on an unrelated note, my husband is a chef and a local Orlando restaurant just called him wanting him to apply for an opening
wouldn't that be crazy fun to be a local!

 

[lbuzz52]

i am so excited to have my airline tickets! to me, it really makes it official! Now i need to stop slacking in the planning and to decide if we are going to tell the kids. i'm thinking of telling dd we are going to the beach- technically we are at CBR. but so much of the trip is the anticipation and it will take that away from her.

i need to get on to the Animal Kingdom planning tonight.

In the meantime, here are the top things we are anticipating, in no particular order...

1) seeing James' face when he sees his "Mouse" for the first time
2) space mountain for the first time
3) riding a new "big kid" ride with Maya- will it be space? tower? everest?
4) Minnie's Bakeshop Chocolate chip Supreme cookies!
5) sticking my toes in the sand (too bad they can't pipe in the ocean smell
too lol)
6) exploring the animation area at DHS
7)using Kim possible to keep the rest of the family excited while we explore
the WS
8) MSEP- saw this one 22 years ago i believe
9) getting to have a second "first time" trip with james. yes, he's been
here but i doubt he remembers much from 9 months
10) spending time as a family. dh and i work staggered schedules to
minimize the need for childcare, and we barely get to see each other.

if maya knew, i think her top would be the disney channel rocks show at DHS

i have no idea what james would pick. pooh? cars?

and chris would probably say "whatever you think dear"



and now a question for you fastpass experts-
we will have 3 kttw and the "baby"

so, for example
we get 3 fastpasses at splash
i get a babyswap
maya and chris ride using 2
maya and i ride using the babyswap
we have 1 fp left

OR

we get 2 fastpasses at splash
we get 1 fp at btmrr
chris and maya ride splash using 2 fp
i get a splash babyswap
maya and i ride with splash babyswap
later we get 1 fp at btmrr
and 2 fp at space
i get a babyswap at btmrr
while chris and maya ride btmrr
maya and i use the btmrr babyswap
and then the same thing with space

so my question is- if chris and maya have the fp and i go up to get the babyswap, are they going to give me one without a fastpass?
if not do we need to go to the regular line, see the cm to get the babyswap, and then chris and maya go use their fastpasses?
it seems like i am missing some detail or something? i'm just trying to figure out the best way to maximize the fastpasses without having extras sitting around.


this guy came today! his letter is a bit beat up but he's pretty darn cute!

 

[lbuzz52]

Our third touring day will be at Animal Kingdom. We spent one day here last time and have plenty left to explore.

We recently watched a Disney special on the Travel Channel, and Maya has now declared that she has to ride "Snow Mountain"! Her caveat was that i must tell her when to close her eyes before the snowmonster shows up i can totally handle that one!

I'm not sure that she is ready for Dinosaur though. Maybe Chris or I will test it out and see first.

TP says that this is the best park for this day. Its only because of the 7 day rule though. It seems that the park will have steady crowd numbers all week long.
•Crowd Level: 5.0 out of 10
•Park Hours: 9:00am - 6:00pm

This will be day 3- day 4 if you count travel day. and we will not have had a rest day yet. So we are going to get a later start and just go until whenever.

We have a late breakfast ADR at Tusker House. I'm excited for this one. I love breakfast food. Daisy is getting her moment in the spotlight! Plus its neutral for ds!

So many new things to do here!

Must do's
Expedition Everest
Kali River
Safari's
Tree of Life- last trip, i didn't see this at all- well, i didn't examine it at all.
Discover zones- can anyone tell me more about these? Like where they are?
Triceratop Spin
Maharanjah Trek- another new one
Jammin Jungle Parade-new
Divine-new
Nemo show- again a new one
FOLK

Here is what the kids are wearing- in honor of Tusker House



Do i want to add Rafiki to this list?


Here are a couple pictures from our last day at AK

The kids loved the FOLK show- so much that they had to imitate the performers when they got home!
here they are as the monkeys

Even James couldn't take his eyes off FOLK

this is one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip- Maya and my nephew Cayden

the Rhino came to see us on Safari

 

[Lidian]

Our third touring day will be at Animal Kingdom. We spent one day here last time and have plenty left to explore.

We recently watched a Disney special on the Travel Channel, and Maya has now declared that she has to ride "Snow Mountain"! Her caveat was that i must tell her when to close her eyes before the snowmonster shows up i can totally handle that one!
You know, I rode this last year, and I don't recall seeing the Yeti.

I'm not sure that she is ready for Dinosaur though. Maybe Chris or I will test it out and see first.
I'm not ready for Dinosaur either!

TP says that this is the best park for this day. Its only because of the 7 day rule though. It seems that the park will have steady crowd numbers all week long.
•Crowd Level: 5.0 out of 10
•Park Hours: 9:00am - 6:00pm
AK always seems to feel the most crowded, IMHO.

This will be day 3- day 4 if you count travel day. and we will not have had a rest day yet. So we are going to get a later start and just go until whenever.

We have a late breakfast ADR at Tusker House. I'm excited for this one. I love breakfast food. Daisy is getting her moment in the spotlight! Plus its neutral for ds!

So many new things to do here!

Must do's
Expedition Everest
Kali River
Safari's
Tree of Life- last trip, i didn't see this at all- well, i didn't examine it at all.
Discover zones- can anyone tell me more about these? Like where they are?
We only found one, and it was on our way to Conservation Station.
Triceratop Spin
Maharanjah Trek- another new one
Jammin Jungle Parade-new
Divine-new
Be sure to check for her early. I finally asked a CM where I could find her and she had already left for the day (it was probably around 2 or 3).
Nemo show- again a new one
This is one of my favorite shows and a must do for each trip!
FOLK

Do i want to add Rafiki to this list?
Our kiddos had a blast riding the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. On the trail up, there was cute activities for the kids to learn about creatures and habitats. Then they had a blast viewing the animals in the Conservation Station. Not to mention, Affection Section. I think if you have time for it, check it out, but don't stress yourself to get there.

See comments above in red. Plans look awesome!

 

[lbuzz52]

See comments above in red. Plans look awesome!

Thanks!

I do think the kids will like the rafiki section; I just think it's something that will take a bit of time on an already shorter day. But good to know it will keep thier interest if we are looking for something to do!

I rode ee twice last trip and think I was 50/50 for the yeti. I'm secretly surprised that Maya says she wants to ride it. Last trip she loved btmrr and barnstormer and when she got off them said I love that let's go again! But when asked on later dates of the trip she had no interest. She's seen some videos of ee but I still would not be surprised if she backed out once she sees it in person again. Hope not though!!!

Ok- one negative to getting on the disboards on my iPhone- I clicked quote to respond to your comment and it's only quoting the part you put at the end. I feel that I was goin. To comment on something else but my kids distracted me and no I have no idea what it was

 

[lbuzz52]

Divine- that's what it was. Is she usually in a particular area of the park?

 

[lbuzz52]

i am so excited to have my airline tickets! to me, it really makes it official! Now i need to stop slacking in the planning and to decide if we are going to tell the kids. i'm thinking of telling dd we are going to the beach- technically we are at CBR. but so much of the trip is the anticipation and it will take that away from her.

i need to get on to the Animal Kingdom planning tonight.

In the meantime, here are the top things we are anticipating, in no particular order...

1) seeing James' face when he sees his "Mouse" for the first time
2) space mountain for the first time
3) riding a new "big kid" ride with Maya- will it be space? tower? everest?
4) Minnie's Bakeshop Chocolate chip Supreme cookies!
5) sticking my toes in the sand (too bad they can't pipe in the ocean smell
too lol)
6) exploring the animation area at DHS
7)using Kim possible to keep the rest of the family excited while we explore
the WS
8) MSEP- saw this one 22 years ago i believe
9) getting to have a second "first time" trip with james. yes, he's been
here but i doubt he remembers much from 9 months
10) spending time as a family. dh and i work staggered schedules to
minimize the need for childcare, and we barely get to see each other.

if maya knew, i think her top would be the disney channel rocks show at DHS

i have no idea what james would pick. pooh? cars?

and chris would probably say "whatever you think dear"



and now a question for you fastpass experts-
we will have 3 kttw and the "baby"

so, for example
we get 3 fastpasses at splash
i get a babyswap
maya and chris ride using 2
maya and i ride using the babyswap
we have 1 fp left

OR

we get 2 fastpasses at splash
we get 1 fp at btmrr
chris and maya ride splash using 2 fp
i get a splash babyswap
maya and i ride with splash babyswap
later we get 1 fp at btmrr
and 2 fp at space
i get a babyswap at btmrr
while chris and maya ride btmrr
maya and i use the btmrr babyswap
and then the same thing with space

so my question is- if chris and maya have the fp and i go up to get the babyswap, are they going to give me one without a fastpass?
if not do we need to go to the regular line, see the cm to get the babyswap, and then chris and maya go use their fastpasses?
it seems like i am missing some detail or something? i'm just trying to figure out the best way to maximize the fastpasses without having extras sitting around.

I'm bumping this post for two reasons
1) I'm still curious on The fastpass question
2) I'd love for you all to share the things you are moat anticipating on your next trip!!

 

[chepic]

Can't answer the baby swap question...but can't wait to just be in the warm air with a drink in my hand sitting by the pool watching the kids slide down the slide with smiling faces.

Cheryl

 

[AKL LOVER]

On our past trips (in May) we didn't use many FPs because crowd levels were low. But we would get a baby swap pass b/c DS was so little.

The second scenerio that you offered up never occured to me. It sounds like it would work. Here's what I would do--Go up to the CM at the standby line. When you go up to get the baby swap pass, don't even show them at that point that you have a FP. Then after you get the baby swap pass, you pocket the baby swap pass while your DH and DD take 2 FPs to go ride. I don't see why this wouldn't work.

I might have to keep this strategy in mind for the few rides that my DS will be too little to ride. I love getting good ideas from the DIS--a great reason to read other people's PTRs/TRs!!

 

[lbuzz52]

Can't answer the baby swap question...but can't wait to just be in the warm air with a drink in my hand sitting by the pool watching the kids slide down the slide with smiling faces.

Cheryl

sounds like a great plan to me! that's probably on my dh's top 3 for sure. my children aren't very independent in the water yet so its not as relaxing as it will be in a few years. But i have the added bonus of first water slides for my children this trip. the more i think about the pool teh more i think i should have put it on my top list too!

On our past trips (in May) we didn't use many FPs because crowd levels were low. But we would get a baby swap pass b/c DS was so little.

The second scenerio that you offered up never occured to me. It sounds like it would work. Here's what I would do--Go up to the CM at the standby line. When you go up to get the baby swap pass, don't even show them at that point that you have a FP. Then after you get the baby swap pass, you pocket the baby swap pass while your DH and DD take 2 FPs to go ride. I don't see why this wouldn't work.

I might have to keep this strategy in mind for the few rides that my DS will be too little to ride. I love getting good ideas from the DIS--a great reason to read other people's PTRs/TRs!!

i really like your idea to go to the standby line!!! i knew i was missing an important piece! i remember at least one time when we went to fastpass line for the babyswap and they asked us to see our fastpasses before they gave us the babyswap. it didn't make much sense to me, because then i my original fastpass, plus the "fastpass"baby swap so then i had two.
the standby line option works in my head! i'm glad we could work together on this idea! I'm so happy to have an option that hopefully will eliminate a lot of the "extra" fastpasses!