Is it May Yet? Little Buzz and baby Alien take over-Final Pictures pg 6- 5/15

[Lidian]

Looks good to me!!

 

[taymacsmom]

The only one of those that we have done is Tusker House and we loved it!! O'Hana is definately on our short list though! The list looks great.

Kelly

 

[jm106]

Thanks, I am excited but a bit overhwelmed with so much food to consider. I am working on a chart to organize myself(Shh dont tell hubby)

 

[lbuzz52]

Thanks, I am excited but a bit overhwelmed with so much food to consider. I am working on a chart to organize myself(Shh dont tell hubby)

i know what you mean- there are enough options you could practially spend your whole vacation eating. you choices look good though! good variety.

 

[jm106]

I am getting even more excited with now less then 2 months to go.
I am trying to think of some fun things for the kids.
So far I have ordered ther Guide to the Magic Book but still waiting for it
http://www.guidetothemagic.com/shopping.htm
I am also thinking of some things to mail to the kids. I am going to try invitations from Donald for TH and Oso for H&V or Tink to come to dessert party for fire works.
Any creative folks with ideas to share I would love it. DH is traveling next week or 2 for work so I will have time.

We have also begun shopping. Kids each got a cute Mickey Tshirt

bathing suits which they chose themselves (Pirates are popular around here)and yds a hat(searching for one for ods)

They need sandals and I need a new pair of Adidias flip flops and a mickey shirt wouldnt hurt either. We went to Disney store last week but they had dark shades and with the sun/heat I want lighter. We did get gift cards for easter baskets and Pheius and ferb too.
I didnt need clothes but I did get a cute straw cowboy hat and a FLIP! Great deal at best buy last week, got a free shutterfly photo book also, good for the year so that will be for disney! I love how small it is, shown with my Ipod for sizing

I did a check on park hours last week on disneys site. I was going off of WDWinfo and its different. Looks like DHS is closing at 7 when we go so we will plan to do RD, late H&V breakfast and stay. We definitly want to see the parade so I think we can get everything done and be out possibly dinner time. Maybe a chance to take an evening swim and put kids to bed early since we have 8:10 ADR the next morning.
I am stalking TPs even though I have eveything mapped out. So far I am happy with my days in comparison to their recommendations

I guess my next step is to get day 6 posted. Its our last park day so I am in no hurry to be done with my excitement.

 

[Moira222]

I'm BAAACCCKK....I have been falling asleep with my fingers over the keyboard of my laptop this week. pathetic!!! but I have been reading and planning late and that is what happens to me....I get in my happy place and zzzzzzzz

LOL!

Are you staying IN Knoebel's for July 4? We have camped down the road from there, which was nice. about a 10 minute drive, but quiet---no trains going through the campsite, and really a way to let the girls settle down (We camp with another family and their DD is same age as ours) I love Knoebel's. We aren't camping there this year but we will do a day trip. its a long ride home ( I make DH drive) but cheaper than the gas $ for the drive!

I've heard of Timothy lake, but have never been. Our camping thsi summer will be rather limited due to our WDW trip in May.

On to your plans@!

If you feel conflicted about a rest day vs park day, why not plan a few half park days? morning craziness in the park, rest and pool time mid day, evening at th park? I have a hard time pacing myself at WDW and am usually exhausted by the end!

So glad that your DH doesn't have to jump into work on his return day. I am hoping my DH doesn't find himself scheduled for midnights on our return day!

Have not done bfast at Hollywood & Vine but have done lunch - twice - and we liked it. DD loved seeing the characters -- joJo & Little Einstens when we were there last -- and there was a good variety of foods. I get tired of seeing DD eat chicken nuggets or mac and cheese there, at home she eats what we eat for the most part.

The pirate swim suits are cute!

Make sure you ask ODS to request ketchup at whispering canyons!

 

[Lidian]

Make sure you ask ODS to request ketchup at whispering canyons!

Wait.. what happens then? (You can PM me what happens so the surprise isn't ruined for anyone.)

 

[jm106]

I'm BAAACCCKK....I have been falling asleep with my fingers over the keyboard of my laptop this week. pathetic!!! but I have been reading and planning late and that is what happens to me....I get in my happy place and zzzzzzzz

LOL!

Are you staying IN Knoebel's for July 4? We have camped down the road from there, which was nice. about a 10 minute drive, but quiet---no trains going through the campsite, and really a way to let the girls settle down (We camp with another family and their DD is same age as ours) I love Knoebel's. We aren't camping there this year but we will do a day trip. its a long ride home ( I make DH drive) but cheaper than the gas $ for the drive!

I've heard of Timothy lake, but have never been. Our camping thsi summer will be rather limited due to our WDW trip in May.

On to your plans@!

If you feel conflicted about a rest day vs park day, why not plan a few half park days? morning craziness in the park, rest and pool time mid day, evening at th park? I have a hard time pacing myself at WDW and am usually exhausted by the end!

So glad that your DH doesn't have to jump into work on his return day. I am hoping my DH doesn't find himself scheduled for midnights on our return day!

Have not done bfast at Hollywood & Vine but have done lunch - twice - and we liked it. DD loved seeing the characters -- joJo & Little Einstens when we were there last -- and there was a good variety of foods. I get tired of seeing DD eat chicken nuggets or mac and cheese there, at home she eats what we eat for the most part.

The pirate swim suits are cute!

Make sure you ask ODS to request ketchup at whispering canyons!

We will be in Knoebels July 31. Our first time. We are staying on their site becuase its a group and I didnt plan. Myt friends asked about the place down the road though.
We did Timothy lake last summer first time in yeras. It was ok, camp sites are very close and they seemed to change things, They charge for everything and arent maintaining it too well( we had to climb around torn bushes to play mini golf.) It was close so good for a quick weekend.
You must live really close to me. With out disclosing much, Ill say I am 20 minutes from Easton PA Bridge.
I heard something about ketchup, they yell or something. Please tell me its not too crazy with antics? After reqading a little, I got nervous.
Over all I am very excited about our choices.

SO next, I am thinking of making a few tshirts for the kids and I have tried to do a spread sheet. I got one from another Diser but lots of info to put in. I am not sure Ill get it done but I need to organize my plans a bit more(all on lap top for now)Ideas??

 

[jm106]

Well here we are at the 50 day mark. So excited
I made some magic with kid version of Mickey mail. They got a letter "delivered" from Mickey, slipped under the door when they woke up. Very exciting.
We also did another movie night.
Ods chose Peter Pan so since I worked we made it fun and easy for dinner.
I made Pixie Dust Sprinkled Bananas(yogurt dipped and sprikled with green edible crystals) and Peter PANcakes.lol. They were green and also had some pixie dust. What a hit with my kids.
We also had make your own sundae night with crushed cheerios, banans, pineapple pieces and sprinkles and of course a cherry. Happy children tonight.
Tomorrow we have a fun night. We are going to our close friends, who just returned from their first disney trip! We get to bask in their excitement and share pictures.

 

[mphalens]

I just stumbled upon your PTR! I have a 6yr old DS and an almost 3 yr old DS (he'll be 3 by the time we go in November)...

Your trip looks great! Can't wait to see more pictures and here the rest of your plans!

I did want to tell you about one thing I did with my younger son on our last trip while his big brother was off riding some of the rides he was too little to go on... We prepared the empty mini m&ms tubes for the penny presses that can be found all over the parks ... then while my older son was off riding, my younger son would get to hunt for an "extra" penny press machine. Older DS still got to press some pennies, but younger DS got extras ... He loved showing off his new penny to his older brother upon reuniting and his older brother would tell him all about the ride.

 

[Lidian]

Well here we are at the 50 day mark. So excited
I made some magic with kid version of Mickey mail. They got a letter "delivered" from Mickey, slipped under the door when they woke up. Very exciting.
We also did another movie night.
Ods chose Peter Pan so since I worked we made it fun and easy for dinner.
I made Pixie Dust Sprinkled Bananas(yogurt dipped and sprikled with green edible crystals) and Peter PANcakes.lol. They were green and also had some pixie dust. What a hit with my kids.
We also had make your own sundae night with crushed cheerios, banans, pineapple pieces and sprinkles and of course a cherry. Happy children tonight.
Tomorrow we have a fun night. We are going to our close friends, who just returned from their first disney trip! We get to bask in their excitement and share pictures.

49 DAYS and the 45 day mark is just around the corner!!!! It's soo exciting!!

Glad you had a great time last night, sounds like fun! I wish I could do theme nights, but the kids might figure out something is up. Have a great time tonight at your friend's house sharing Disney stories!!

 

[Moira222]

I sent you a PM ....neighbor

I love the peter Pan cakes...funny!

For getting organized, I build an excel spread sheet to keep everything together as I am planning but once I am close (like now) I do a mail merge into a word file that I can layout a little nicer for our take a long binder.

if you don't have a binder planned, plan one. Everyone does them a little differently but I put in our day plans, confirmations, etc, then leave a page or two for hand written notes about our day. This trip DD is a second grader so she will also add each day her "best" from each day - that will be our assigned homework, along with whatever she gets from school. Its a great reminder down the road.

I also wanted to chime in on your "off day" plans -- visit the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. (You can take a ferry there from Ohana I think) The boys will love the sandy beach to play on, there are pony rides, I think there is panning for gold, there are campfires at night for toasting marshmallows and movies out doors at night. We went to HDDMR our last time and just had a great time exploring the campground, and watching the electric water parade was great fun!...best of all, its all FREE (well ok you have to pay for the pony rides) so its easy on the budget as well!

 

[jm106]

I sent you a PM ....neighbor

I love the peter Pan cakes...funny!

For getting organized, I build an excel spread sheet to keep everything together as I am planning but once I am close (like now) I do a mail merge into a word file that I can layout a little nicer for our take a long binder.

if you don't have a binder planned, plan one. Everyone does them a little differently but I put in our day plans, confirmations, etc, then leave a page or two for hand written notes about our day. This trip DD is a second grader so she will also add each day her "best" from each day - that will be our assigned homework, along with whatever she gets from school. Its a great reminder down the road.

I also wanted to chime in on your "off day" plans -- visit the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. (You can take a ferry there from Ohana I think) The boys will love the sandy beach to play on, there are pony rides, I think there is panning for gold, there are campfires at night for toasting marshmallows and movies out doors at night. We went to HDDMR our last time and just had a great time exploring the campground, and watching the electric water parade was great fun!...best of all, its all FREE (well ok you have to pay for the pony rides) so its easy on the budget as well!

Mary ellen, I can not beleive how close we live! Small world...
Ill keep the fort wilderness in mind for day off but I know the kids are looking forward to a pool day and we hope to do DTD after Ohana.

I am attempting a spreadsheet but really too much. I got a few samples from others but WOW way too involved for me. I am looking into what I will use. I have never had a need for a binder, I didnt even carry our ADR numbers last time but now with Dining plan I guess I will have to.
Do you carry the binder with you? I need portable, like all on one page per day.

Its almost sad, I have little to ask, research or worry about. I want to make a Tshirt for my kids but waiting for Disign from creative board. I also cant get one Disign to print right, its grainy and not sure what to do.

 

[AKL LOVER]

Mary ellen, I can not beleive how close we live! Small world...
Ill keep the fort wilderness in mind for day off but I know the kids are looking forward to a pool day and we hope to do DTD after Ohana.

I am attempting a spreadsheet but really too much. I got a few samples from others but WOW way too involved for me. I am looking into what I will use. I have never had a need for a binder, I didnt even carry our ADR numbers last time but now with Dining plan I guess I will have to.
Do you carry the binder with you? I need portable, like all on one page per day.

Its almost sad, I have little to ask, research or worry about. I want to make a Tshirt for my kids but waiting for Disign from creative board. I also cant get one Disign to print right, its grainy and not sure what to do.

I have 4 spread sheets that are pretty simple. One for our weekly schedule, one for park crowd levels, one for park hours/EMH hours and one for ADR info. If you PM me your email address I'm happy to share them with you. I made them in excel. If you want to check out what they look like, pictures of all 3 of them were in my planning journal pics on my PTR. They are each set up to have our weeks worth of info. That was way easier for me than trying to split all that different info into a daily spreadsheet. You could just print off all 4, staple them together, fold them up and then carry them all week with you--no planning journal/binder needed! You could probably even shrink them a bit so you could fit them all onto just 2 sheets. Let me know

 

[Lidian]

I have 4 spread sheets that are pretty simple. One for our weekly schedule, one for park crowd levels, one for park hours/EMH hours and one for ADR info. If you PM me your email address I'm happy to share them with you. I made them in excel. If you want to check out what they look like, pictures of all 3 of them were in my planning journal pics on my PTR. They are each set up to have our weeks worth of info. That was way easier for me than trying to split all that different info into a daily spreadsheet. You could just print off all 4, staple them together, fold them up and then carry them all week with you--no planning journal/binder needed! You could probably even shrink them a bit so you could fit them all onto just 2 sheets. Let me know

I've actually been working on my own spreadsheets, but I was curious and popped over to your PTR and I am in love with your planning journal! You are very creative and have done an amazing job! (It really puts my basic spreadsheets to shame. )

So jm106, I recommend you take AKL LOVER up on her offer.

 

[jm106]

I've actually been working on my own spreadsheets, but I was curious and popped over to your PTR and I am in love with your planning journal! You are very creative and have done an amazing job! (It really puts my basic spreadsheets to shame. )

So jm106, I recommend you take AKL LOVER up on her offer.

Thanks, I didnt see the offer (thanks AKLlover) so instead I have been hard at work on a document today and I am thrilled with it. I was able to get all that I want on one page, then then back can be extras like snack list. I am breaking it up so I can fit it all but I only need a single sheet.
I love making my own, I just needed to dedicatr time to figure it out. Ill post pics later.

 

[jm106]

I dedicated today to getting the kids summer clothes sorted out(they hardly grow so can wear most from last year) and more importantly, getting all of my info in one place.
So after looking over some seemingly overwhelming spreadsheets, I went on my own. All on one page, and on back was going to be snack list but its just too large. I plan to print a copy per day with daily info on reverse such as must see attractions as well as any extras (like I want to see the candy lady in China or musical group from Canada?)
So here is my nearly finished product. Not as great as some ppls but I like it and think it will be enough for us.

So still on my TO DO list
*Buy flip Flips
*Make Tshirts
*Order from Garden Grocer
*Finish and mail additional "Kids" mickey mail- invitations to WIshes Dessert *Party, Hollywood and Vine and Tusker House. They loved their letter from *Mickey on 50 days out
*Get a back up card for my camera and hopefully a refresher lesson from my friend
*I need to get a wireless card so I can easliy get on internet from WDW and start summer classes.


I also need to get kids tux measurement tis week for nieces wedding
Book hotel for her wedding rehersal and wedding night (2 days before we leave for disney.)
I have exams the week before so Ill need the break. Then wedding and company(SIL for a few days as well as my moms BFF from Orlando will be at my house while I am heading to Orlando)

I feel like I have so much done for this trip but still cant feel like I am done. DH is traveling/working a lot so lots of stress. I sort of feel sad that I have little to plan, little to chat or ask about here. It does give me more time to follow other PTRs

 

[Lidian]

I love the spreadsheet you created! Yours is definitely much better than mine. I should get some graphics and pretty it up.

 

[jm106]

I love the spreadsheet you created! Yours is definitely much better than mine. I should get some graphics and pretty it up.

thanks! I made it on Word. I saw others had graphics(way more then mine) SO I had to do it.

I also forgot we got our Guide to the Magic book last week. Cute, Ods is excited to get to fill in each day as we complete it(Im thinking he will be too tired though) and he will get a few Autographs for it. I might just carry paper for them rather then carrying the book then glue them in later. We will see.
I also have a Disney scrap book that I plan to do when we return as well as my free Shutterfly Photo book that I got when I bought my flip(loving the flip BTW.)I got the scrapbook the week after we returned from our '08 trip so I have to do it.

One more fun fact- Today while I was looking at my Dis reservations on their site, I saw my flight home has been moved again but now its later. Originally it was 4:45, then they moved it to 3:40 and now its 4:10. Not like I gain a lot, but Ill take it.

I do have a concern but its too late. I saw on TP(I didnt sub this time so it was 30 days out) that crowds were higher then I would have expected and 3 of my days, I chose parks that we not recommended. I know one is becuase its EMH at HS but since star wars weekends were on either end and it was a NON-F! night, I considered it safe enough. But the others have me a bit worried(I stress myself out abou tit and its always fine.) Its 5 and 6 so not terrible. I did consider the EasyWDW site originally. I wont be chaning so I guess I have to let it go.
Additionally, my friends that just returned strongly recommended us to have our ADR while we watch Illuminations. We didnt book then, instead earler since we have Dessert party at MK and of course it would be very later dinner. But, true to my nature, I am stressing thinking maybe I should have. Again, too late but it will all work out(right, RIGHT??lol)

 

[Lidian]

thanks! I made it on Word. I saw others had graphics(way more then mine) SO I had to do it.

I also forgot we got our Guide to the Magic book last week. Cute, Ods is excited to get to fill in each day as we complete it(Im thinking he will be too tired though) and he will get a few Autographs for it. I might just carry paper for them rather then carrying the book then glue them in later. We will see.
I also have a Disney scrap book that I plan to do when we return as well as my free Shutterfly Photo book that I got when I bought my flip(loving the flip BTW.)I got the scrapbook the week after we returned from our '08 trip so I have to do it.

One more fun fact- Today while I was looking at my Dis reservations on their site, I saw my flight home has been moved again but now its later. Originally it was 4:45, then they moved it to 3:40 and now its 4:10. Not like I gain a lot, but Ill take it.

I do have a concern but its too late. I saw on TP(I didnt sub this time so it was 30 days out) that crowds were higher then I would have expected and 3 of my days, I chose parks that we not recommended. I know one is becuase its EMH at HS but since star wars weekends were on either end and it was a NON-F! night, I considered it safe enough. But the others have me a bit worried(I stress myself out abou tit and its always fine.) Its 5 and 6 so not terrible. I did consider the EasyWDW site originally. I wont be chaning so I guess I have to let it go.
Additionally, my friends that just returned strongly recommended us to have our ADR while we watch Illuminations. We didnt book then, instead earler since we have Dessert party at MK and of course it would be very later dinner. But, true to my nature, I am stressing thinking maybe I should have. Again, too late but it will all work out(right, RIGHT??lol)

Everything will work out! Now you see the dilema I put myself through a few weeks back.

I take a look at 3 different sites when I planned this year. TP, UT, and easywdw. Sometimes they agree 100%, sometimes they disagree 100%. But I try to weigh out stuff like SWW, F!, Wishes/MSEP, and if anything else might be happening (early park closure, etc). Even if you get there and the parks are 8s , just make vital use of FPs, eat during off-hours, skip parades (if family is willing) and hit rides then, etc. You'll totally make your parks work for you!

We couldn't do a dinner ADR so late to see Illuminations. We'd be famished! The Dessert Party sounds pretty cool, I really want to see it, but don't want to invest even more money into this "cheap trip that we keep shelling money out for".

I haven't heard of the book you mentioned. I'll have to google it and see what its all about! I think its a great idea to carry something lighter in the parks for autographs and then "scrapbook" them into your original book later!

Glad to hear you are loving the Flip. And glad to hear you get a little more time at WDW due to later flight. Every few minutes there is precious.

Deep breaths, it'll be an awesome vacation - no matter what!