Here's to a DRAMA-FREE vacation! A Sept. 2013 PTR, FINAL UPDATE, 9/1!!

[klacey1]

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I still just can't believe how close you are!

I hope your plans with your friends go smoothly! It is so frustrating trying to coordinate everyone. But luckily, it's going to be wonderful no matter what.

Also...I love your House pride!! I'm in Gryffindor myself, as most of my family. Do you have any recommendations from Honeydukes for me? I've been eyeing the Pumpkin Pasties, they look quite good! I don't think we'll make it to Three Broomsticks, but I think I'll fancy something from the sweets shop!

EEEEE---I KNOW! Yeah, I was driving myself crazy with trying to figure things out, but we're just going to do our thing and see what happens!
I have to rock that house pride Hmmm, I actually didn't try anything from Honeydukes, but you MUST try the pumpkin juice & butterbeer! I go against the grain & actually prefer the non-frozen butterbeer, but to be fair, I don't really like slushy drinks. (Margaritas on the rocks, please!) The pumpkin juice kind of tastes like a delicious apple cider.

Oh goodness you are BEYOND close! If I don't make it back before you leave, HAVE THE MOST AMAZING AWESOME TRIP! I can't wait to hear about it when you get back.

Isn't it frustrating when you have to drag opinions out of guys? Like I know you have them so why won't you say it instead of "Oh, whatever you want is fine!"

Your reasons to keep the plans as is are smart! Even if they do get to the park early, you could always continue to tour with your passes and agree to meet up at a certain time and place to do a part of the park together you haven't done yet. It'll be nice to have some time to tour alone and then all together too!

I want to do a lot of the last minute trip prep things already in hopes it'll make our trip come sooner but then I'll just go crazy the last few days

Thank you!! I'm going to post one more time of me packing, so hopefully you'll get to read that. If not, I hope you have a spectacularly wonderful trip, too!!!
Augh, boys. Just tell me what you want-- I have no problem telling Zach my opinion haha.

Yay!!!!!

Zach makes sense. What if they decide not to go till later? I'd be upset of I had to wait for people. You'll have fun anyways!!!

SO EXCITED FOR YOUR TRIP!!!!

Yup, I totally think we're making the right decision!

Yah!!! So close now

Glad you made a decision about Universal, sticking with your plans is just fine. Try not to worry about the other couple too much, put yourselves first, ya know?

Sounds like you have a couple of relaxing days before you leave, us too! So nice that you get out at 3 on Fridays in the summer, must make your weekends feel extra long.

I can't remember if any of our days overlap, but I will definitely keep an eye out for you.

That's what Zach said-- this is our vacation, we should do what we want. These relaxing days have made me very antsy! I wish we left yesterday!! I'm ready to be on vacation.
Yes-- I'll keep my eyes out for you too! Have a wonderful trip!!

Hi everyone!! I'm going to do a packing post later, after I pack! I'm going to have a quick bite to eat and then head out to my mani-pedi appointment. The afternoon will be all about getting myself all set--packing, making sure I have everything set, etc. I think I'll have to put a Disney movie on in the background while I pack!

 

[lsenquiz]

Commenting on Day 3

You will definitely be able to get FP for TSM after riding it standby in the morning.

We have ridden Star Tours a lot of time (probably 60+ as we ride tons each trip) and I have gotten my favorite combo which includes a Wookie(Gabriel assures me it is not Chewy) and underwater ride exactly 3 times The one we get the most is with Princess Leia and the snow which is my least favorite.

We also always lunch at Pizza Planet but I prefer the meatball sub over the Pizza. I have never heard of Fairfax Fare so off to check that menu out now since we will be at DHS 3 times for lunch this coming trip and can not do Pizza Planet all three times. I am with you and hate Backlot Express and agree that DHS needs a better selection for counter service optiions.

One option after dinner at Yaghtsman is to walk over to the Boardwalk and check out the entertainment then enter EPCOT through the gate at World Showcase and grab a cocktail in France or UK. Take a casual walk from the WS to the front of EPCOT then jump on the monorail over to the Poly to watch the Water Parade and Wishes from the Poly Beach.

 

[klacey1]

Commenting on Day 3

You will definitely be able to get FP for TSM after riding it standby in the morning.

We have ridden Star Tours a lot of time (probably 60+ as we ride tons each trip) and I have gotten my favorite combo which includes a Wookie(Gabriel assures me it is not Chewy) and underwater ride exactly 3 times The one we get the most is with Princess Leia and the snow which is my least favorite.

We also always lunch at Pizza Planet but I prefer the meatball sub over the Pizza. I have never heard of Fairfax Fare so off to check that menu out now since we will be at DHS 3 times for lunch this coming trip and can not do Pizza Planet all three times. I am with you and hate Backlot Express and agree that DHS needs a better selection for counter service optiions.

One option after dinner at Yaghtsman is to walk over to the Boardwalk and check out the entertainment then enter EPCOT through the gate at World Showcase and grab a cocktail in France or UK. Take a casual walk from the WS to the front of EPCOT then jump on the monorail over to the Poly to watch the Water Parade and Wishes from the Poly Beach.

I like Star Wars but I'm not a huge fan, so any combo is okay with me!
Fairfax Fare definitely looks like a good option!
Ooo, I really like that plan! I love the Boardwalk area & have always wanted to see Wishes from the Poly!

 

[klacey1]

So this is going to be my final update!! EEE-- I cannot believe that at this time tomorrow, we will be in DISNEY! I thought I’d just share some photos of my packing as a final update!
For the past week, I’ve been tossing clothes, etc. on top of my suitcase that sits under Zach’s suit nook when I have on a trip coming up. Before I started packing, this is what the pile looked like:

Oops! It only took a couple of hours to pack it all (and some more stuff) away!
I admire people who do packing cubes, Zip Locks, etc. to keep their suitcase all organized, but I think my process works just as well. Once I figure out what I’m going to wear each day, I take the full outfit, including underthings and roll it up as one bundle. This completely eliminates any decision-making in the mornings. I place all of the bundles in the suitcase first and then arrange “extras” around it.
Extras include my toiletry bag, which is a hanging toiletry bag from Vera Bradley:

I take everything out of the bag and arrange my items in the shower/bathroom counters, so the hanging aspect means nothing, but I really like the size of this bag. I managed to find minis of all my preferred hair products/soaps, etc., which is awesome. Last trip, I did the refillable bottle thing with my normal sized shampoo/conditioner, but that really did not work out. I was never able to fully clean out the bottles and they are just kind of scummy. Oh well!
I use the travel cosmetic bag from VB as my make-up bag. I don’t stuff it full, but I do like having lots of options in Disney, especially at night for dinners! I love how easy to clean this bag is, as well as the little pockets around the edges for small items:

Just because I’m showing my Vera stuff (and there’s still more to come!), here’s some more that will be packed in my suitcase:
I have a VB small duffel for our overnight at Universal, which is the perfect size for both mine and Zach’s stuff for one night. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic!)
iPhone wallet thing (I have no idea what the real name is!) for the Universal parks. They have a super annoying system where you have to put your bags in a locker for almost every ride. However, I can loop the mini-lanyard on this pouch through my belt loop and shove the pouch itself into my pocket. Skipping the lockers will allow us to maximize time in the parks!:

Small cosmetic bag for my jewelry:

We also purchased some snacks that I shoved into our suitcase (and a few in my carry-on!). These are mostly for quick breakfasts in the room before heading to the parks, except those gummy bears! (Zach is just addicted to them!):

Moving on to my carry-on-- and oh wait, more Vera! I have been using this weekender as my carry-on for about two years now and I LOVE it! It has so many pockets for organizing and it’s very roomy. I think the shape is very cute, too:

Inside, we have my ZipID, which I use for travel and in the parks. It holds my license, credit cards, cash, and Universal tickets. When we get to Disney, it’ll hold my KTTW, too!:

Case for my iPod:

In additional to magazines, my Kindle, a few snacks for the plane, etc., I also always pack my park bag. ME has never dropped our bags off too late, but we like hitting the ground running as soon as we get to WDW, so I like to have everything that I’d need for a park on me. I use a VB hipster as my park bag:

In it, I carry a mini bottle of sunscreen, lip balm, my camera, cell phone, sunglasses, rain jacket (I can roll this up super tiny and feel it provides more protection, especially for my hair, than a poncho), and toothbrushing kit. Of course, due to liquid rules & me needing my phone as a boarding pass, I will pack the park bag flat & fill it with necessities once we get to WDW.
So those are my packing basics! It took me a little bit more than three hours to pack, but most of that was organizing things, pulling stuff out of the closet, selecting make-up, ripping tags off new items, etc. The actual packing of my suitcase only took about ten minutes. It was lots of fun-- I’m so excited that I can hardly stand it!!
So with that-- so long, friends!! For everyone goes on trips soon, if I miss your departure, have a wonderful time!! I know my week will go by all too fast and I’ll be back to start my TR and dining report. Bye!

 

[blabbermouth]

A bag for everything and everything in it's bag! Nice work! I packed today too, even though I still have one more day to wait.

I didn't think about Universal making you use lockers, bah. I want to bring my camera, and it's just not quite pocket sized, so we'll have to get a locker.

But YAYYYYY! Have a fabulous trip!!!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

Have an awesome trip!!!!!!!!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Yay I made it to the last update!

Love all your Vera stuff! The toiletries thing is especially cute. I should look into getting one of those just to keep all that stuff organized while traveling!

I have one of those Zipit things for IDs and stuff from when I dormed but I'm thinking about digging it out for Disney. Seems super convenient for keeping passes and such organized.

Good idea about the iphone wallet for Universal! The locker system is totally annoying. It's nice that the lockers are free unlike at like Six Flags where you have to pay $1 each time but it does eat up a lot of time and sometimes the biometric system fails which is even more annoying!

Have an AWESOME TRIP!!!!!

Thanks for sharing all your plans and I can't wait to hear about it when you get back!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Have a great trip! Love to see other day before packers like me! It makes the day before departure so much fun.

LOVE all the Vera bags! I have lots as well (envious of your Weekender). I will have to take pics of all the Vera coming with me as well. Love packing posts!!!!

 

[librarygeek]

Hope you're having a blast in Disney right now!! I'm glad you worked things out with your friends for Universal. I do think it's better not to let them change up your plans too much. Hopefully everything works out!

 

[princess_momma]

I hope you are having the best time right now! LOL I find it humorous how many delicious drinks there are at WWoHP that sound so good! I'm going to have to pee all day!

LOVE knowing your plans about what you're bringing where and how you're bringing it there! I am just going in circles about all that! I'm finally at the point where I'm debating stoller/no stroller and then what i'm going to bring and what life will be like without no stroller! It's never happened before!

Well...next time we talk, I'll be saying welcome home!

 

[DrMomof3]

I hope you're having the best trip ever!!!

Amanda

 

[klacey1]

A bag for everything and everything in it's bag! Nice work! I packed today too, even though I still have one more day to wait.

I didn't think about Universal making you use lockers, bah. I want to bring my camera, and it's just not quite pocket sized, so we'll have to get a locker.

But YAYYYYY! Have a fabulous trip!!!

I do love keeping my stuff organized! The lockers are annoying, but not the worst. With low crowds, they're really fine.

Have an awesome trip!!!!!!!!

Thank you-- it was wonderful!

Yay I made it to the last update!

Love all your Vera stuff! The toiletries thing is especially cute. I should look into getting one of those just to keep all that stuff organized while traveling!

I have one of those Zipit things for IDs and stuff from when I dormed but I'm thinking about digging it out for Disney. Seems super convenient for keeping passes and such organized.

Good idea about the iphone wallet for Universal! The locker system is totally annoying. It's nice that the lockers are free unlike at like Six Flags where you have to pay $1 each time but it does eat up a lot of time and sometimes the biometric system fails which is even more annoying!

Have an AWESOME TRIP!!!!!

Thanks for sharing all your plans and I can't wait to hear about it when you get back!

Hey girl- I hope you're having a great time on your trip!! The hanging organizer was really great-- and I loved hooking it onto the towel hook in the bathroom. It didn't take up any valuable counter space!
I loved the iPhone wallet-- I put my express pass in the clear window and just flashed it for every ride. No having to remove it or anything. So convenient!

Have a great trip! Love to see other day before packers like me! It makes the day before departure so much fun.

LOVE all the Vera bags! I have lots as well (envious of your Weekender). I will have to take pics of all the Vera coming with me as well. Love packing posts!!!!

I can't imagine packing any sooner! The weekend before the trip just dragged so I loved packing on Sunday!
Can't wait to see all of your Vera pics!

Hope you're having a blast in Disney right now!! I'm glad you worked things out with your friends for Universal. I do think it's better not to let them change up your plans too much. Hopefully everything works out!

It was soooo smart not to change our plans! We had a great time with our friends, but sticking with our plans was definitely the smart decision!

I hope you are having the best time right now! LOL I find it humorous how many delicious drinks there are at WWoHP that sound so good! I'm going to have to pee all day!

LOVE knowing your plans about what you're bringing where and how you're bringing it there! I am just going in circles about all that! I'm finally at the point where I'm debating stoller/no stroller and then what i'm going to bring and what life will be like without no stroller! It's never happened before!

Well...next time we talk, I'll be saying welcome home!

Omg, I had so many delicious drinks in WWoHP! The pear cider and Hog's Head ale were delicious!!
Ahh, the stroller/no stroller debate!! At least if you decide to go no stroller, you can always rent one!

I hope you're having the best trip ever!!!

Amanda

Thanks, Amanda!! It was terrific!

 

[klacey1]

Hello friends! We're home!! I just need to get my photos organized and I'll begin my TR shortly, hopefully tomorrow! (Sidenote-- I just uploaded my PP pics and all I have to say is yuck! The quality of most of them is just awful! The lighting, the angles, everything! There's only a few I actually like. Of course we ordered the CD-- oh well!)
Overall, it was a wonderful trip. I loved our resort, restaurants, and days in the parks. A fantastic, fantastic vacation. I can't wait to share it with all of you! I'll posted the TR link as soon as it's ready!

 

[abbybeth]

welcome home! (I suppose ... at least home away from Disney home) can't wait to hear about all of your adventures!

 

[jenny105]

Welcome home! Can't wait to read your TR. I keep meaning to start one but I've been lazy...

 

[librarygeek]

Welcome back! I can't wait to hear all about your trip!

 

[princess_momma]

Welcome back!! I am anticipating your report!! Can't wait to read about it!!

 

[blabbermouth]

Welcome home. Glad this trip was a success!

 

[klacey1]

Hello all! Thanks for all of your welcome home wishes!! I have unfortunately not started my trip report yet (I am hoping to tomorrow morning), but I have started my dining report! If you'd like to follow along there, the link is in my signature!

 

[klacey1]

Okay, I have finally started my trip report! I hope you all check it out!!