It'll Be All Right -A May 2012 TR Closing Thought and PTR Link 8/12*

[teekathepony]

I've had long waits in GMR before, as well as some walk ons so I guess neither would surprise me! lol
Love the pics of DHS!

 

[UGAFan0829]

I, too, am surprised about the wait for GMR! Of couse, that's probably because we've only ridded it maybe twice!

I know I've said this before, but you and I are so much alike. Worrying about everyone having a good time and stressing over it is something I would do, and have done before!

Sorry that the burgers weren't that great. I do agree with you about the food at HS. The Commissary and Pizza Planet are the only two CS places we've tried there, and that's because I'm kind of afriad to try anything else.

I love the pics with the HS sign. I always mean to look for it, but never remember!

I'm glad y'all headed back to the room for some rest!

 

[MHTeacher]

This past trip, we had to watch the movie reel almost three times. But like you said, it's cool, air-conditioned, so I can't really complain.

I do think that when I'm the planner of the trip, I feel a responsibility for everyone having a good time. I tend to worry about whether or not people are having fun, and just like your mom, they usually are. It's just the people-pleaser part of my personality, I guess.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm sorry you had a difficult time, and I completely understand how stressful it is to feel like everyone is counting on you to deliver a magical experience and perfect vacation. I'm happy you came to terms with it, and focused on making yourself happy.

I have always been unlucky with the GMR, I always seem stuck in that waiting area forever!

I also agree that DHS is a CS wasteland. Our go-to is chicken nuggets at Backlot express. Nothing fancy, but consistently OK.

 

[wakica]

What a great idea to just walk around taking photos of random things If I EVER had enough time to just do that I'm sure I'd see so many things I would NEVER notice otherwise.

sorry the great movie ride was so backed up on you If I had seen that line up there I would have turned around and walked out. We do NOT do well in lines How long did it end up being?? Or did I miss where you said that?

 

[amazingact21]

Pizza Planet near the Muppets is pretty good for counter service--though I think they are re-theme-ing it soon, so I'm not sure how it will change.

Joyce and I loved the "Let the Memories Begin!" signs. We were always like, "Phew, glad they reminded us!" or "Crap, how did we get here? I only now began my memories for today as instructed..."

I tried Pizza Planet last October, but I was coming down with a terrible cold, so I think that caused me to give the restaurant an unfair opinion. I'm sure next time we need a CS meal at DHS, we'll probably head there.

Alex has made that same comment a few times, as well. "I'm glad they are telling me that my memories can start RIGHT NOW."

I worried my mom the same way during our trip every time we ended up waiting for things that I usually dont wait for or if something went wrong in my mind, 9 times out of 10 she noticed none of it so I worried for no reason but thats what I do best!!

I agree the quick service option at DHS stink!

I guess we just worry too much about whether or not our moms are having fun. Maybe in the future we'll relax a bit.

I've had long waits in GMR before, as well as some walk ons so I guess neither would surprise me! lol
Love the pics of DHS!

Hmm, I guess it's all about timing. I'm curious if there will be a long line when you go next month.

I, too, am surprised about the wait for GMR! Of couse, that's probably because we've only ridded it maybe twice!

I know I've said this before, but you and I are so much alike. Worrying about everyone having a good time and stressing over it is something I would do, and have done before!

Sorry that the burgers weren't that great. I do agree with you about the food at HS. The Commissary and Pizza Planet are the only two CS places we've tried there, and that's because I'm kind of afriad to try anything else.

I love the pics with the HS sign. I always mean to look for it, but never remember!

I'm glad y'all headed back to the room for some rest!

We are pretty alike, only I think I would have had a panic attack if I took my niece and nephew for their first WDW trip. I know it'd be a rewarding experience, but I'd develop an ulcer before we even left!

I think I'm going to stick to the table service places in DHS for the time being.

Rest was a must by that point!

This past trip, we had to watch the movie reel almost three times. But like you said, it's cool, air-conditioned, so I can't really complain.

I do think that when I'm the planner of the trip, I feel a responsibility for everyone having a good time. I tend to worry about whether or not people are having fun, and just like your mom, they usually are. It's just the people-pleaser part of my personality, I guess.

Sounds like the GMR was running a lot slower in May/June of this year. Maybe something was wrong with it. That or there were a lot of guests trying to find inside places to get out of the sun.

I'm sorry you had a difficult time, and I completely understand how stressful it is to feel like everyone is counting on you to deliver a magical experience and perfect vacation. I'm happy you came to terms with it, and focused on making yourself happy.

I have always been unlucky with the GMR, I always seem stuck in that waiting area forever!

I also agree that DHS is a CS wasteland. Our go-to is chicken nuggets at Backlot express. Nothing fancy, but consistently OK.

Hmm, I'll have to keep Backlot in mind. You can't really mess up chicken nuggets!

What a great idea to just walk around taking photos of random things If I EVER had enough time to just do that I'm sure I'd see so many things I would NEVER notice otherwise.

sorry the great movie ride was so backed up on you If I had seen that line up there I would have turned around and walked out. We do NOT do well in lines How long did it end up being?? Or did I miss where you said that?

I laughed at your comment about having enough time, only because my first thought was, "You were in Orlando for 19 days!" However, that being said, I know that you guys did a lot of stuff and went to every park in the area! So I know you really didn't have a lot of time, in the end.

Hmm, I want to say we waited in line about 20 minutes. So, it wasn't a horrible amount of time, I just wasn't used to it. There's certain rides you expect to be walk-on (like Nemo and Grand Fiesta Tour) and when there is a line, it's shocking.

 

[amazingact21]

Hi everyone, hope your week is going well! I just wanted to pop in here and post about a few happenings that are going on in my life right now.

This is a crazy time of the year for me, so I apologize in advance for a break in the trip reporting. My birthday was on the 21st, which we celebrated the Friday before (the joys of having a bday during a work week.)

Alex and I's first anniversary is coming up on the 3rd. It's hard to believe it's been a year already; time flies when you're having fun, I guess.

On the 5th, Alex pins on his new stripe, because he passed his promotion test. That's a big celebration for us, because he's been looking forward to moving his career forward for awhile now, and if anyone remembers, back in May, during our trip Alex had to use break times to study for said test. Glad to see missing a ride on Splash Mtn was worth it!

(Speaking of Splash, had anyone else seen the news that it won't be operating during EMH anymore?! This was the only time I've actually ever ridden Splash, so I was very sad to see it taken off the roster.)

And then Alex's birthday is on the 6th.

Like I said, this time of year is very busy for us.


In addition to that, Alex's parents are coming up to visit the 5-7th and the 17th and 18th. They are doing this really long cruise out of New Orleans, so they'll be stopping at our house on the way to and from.

So if I'm pretty absent during all those times, know I haven't deserted the DISboards, just been really preoccupied.

(Everyone who's on my facebook knows that there's something else going on in my life, but I'm choosing to keep that under wraps for now. )


Alsoooo, there's a Hurricane brewing in the South that has my younger brother's name attached to it....Hurricane Isaac. I'm hoping that it doesn't do too much damage to FL, and I hope it stays away from us. We've had horrible rain showers all month, and this area is horribly flooded, so the last thing we need is a storm to head our way! (My poor backyard is a lake. Our neighbors had to put their trash can in our yard the other day, because they couldn't even get to their sidewalk due to it being underwater!)


Finally, my last piece of news is actually Disney related.
Yesterday, we had to change our weekend getaway dates again.....

Yep, yep, Alex came home from work and informed me that his work created an event on October 2-4th that he was required to attend. No if, ands, buts about it. He even had his leave dates denied on the spot.


We looked at the dates we currently had, which was September 30th-October 3rd, and we tried to find something else that would work.

The biggest issue was that Alex really wanted to be there for Epcot's 30th. He's been looking at merchandise for months, and it's something that really interests him. His reasoning was to just push the dates forward by a few days.

I wasn't too keen about this at first, because that would mean being there during 2 weekend days, and having one of our days interrupted by both a Halloween Party and the Tot 10-miler.
I figured that would cut out a lot of park time and make places like DTD much more crowded.

But how could I deny Alex something he really wanted, plus he said it would be much more likely he'd be able to get the end of September off.


So, we called up WDW, secretly dreading what the fee for this change would be this time around. We asked about changing our stay to September 28th through October 1st, and to everyone's surprise, we actually got a cheaper price.


We saved $5.12 by moving to those dates annnndddd......were able to upgrade to a preferred room at Movies.





I figured out that it was because we moved our dates so that they fell under "Value Season" which I suppose worked out in the end. Now we have a preferred room, which we've never done before, and we are getting a few dollars back from it.

When the CM told us the price, I replied with, "Hey, that's a Dole Whip right there."

She got a good laugh out of it, and in return she told us how much we could save by moving to Sports.

Tempting, but we've been stuck in Sports twice; we're trying to branch out, here.



To sum it all up, Alex and I had to push our "spur of the moment, get a few days away during the summertime" trip forward by 2 days. This easy weekend escapade to Orlando has turned into a pain in the rear, but we are bound and determined to do it! I want some Food and Wine Festival, Alex wants to celebrate Epcot's birthday, and so it's happening!


The tentative plan is to make this a really laid-back weekend. We should get in early, early the 28th, because Alex is taking the day before off, so we could get to Movies by noon or 1 o'clock. We'll either head to a park or go to DTD for some shopping.

One of the days we're there, a good friend of mine is coming over and we're going to spend the day with her and probably another friend. This is something I'm looking forward to, because it's been forever since I've seen her.

The night of the 30th, when all the events are going on, Alex and I figured we'd pack up our things and relax by the pool.

And on the 1st, we'll check out of the resort, go to Epcot, spend as much time there as humanly possible, and leave in the early afternoon to make it back home in time for Alex to get some sleep.


I'm looking forward to getting away for a few days, and I am counting on a nice respite from the craziness that is work and life. All I really want to do on this trip is see Wishes (the Magic, the Memories, and You won't be there anymore) and try some food from the various F&W booths.

 

[Shannon84]

I will be there the same weekend as you how cool, maybe we will run into each other on the 1st (we will be at EPCOT too that day I think!!)

Sounds like you have LOTS going on in life...made me tired just reading congrats to Alex on the promotion how awesome!!!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Congrats on the promotion!

Oh the military, they really can mess up the best laid plans, can't they! I'm happy that you are still able to get down there and experience Epcot's 30th! Have you guys thought about what time you are going to get there that morning? I bet its going to be crowded, and I know I want some of the limited edition merchandise, so I was thinking of arriving at the gates around 6 am. Do you think that is early enough? Should I shoot for 5? What are you going to do?

 

[UGAFan0829]

Congrats on Alex's promotion! I'm glad to know his hard work paid off, and I know you're proud of him too!!

Sorry that you had to move your dates, but glad that it all worked out!

It sounds like you're gonna be busy, but if you still have time to meet up, let me know!

Belated Happy Birthday, and early Happy Anniversary!!

 

[MEK]

Congratulations to Alex for earning a new strip!

Happy Anniversary.

And yeah for moving the trip up by 2 days and saving enough money for an extra dole whip to boot.

Now, I'm wondering what the other news is. I do have a guess.

Yeah for Epcor's Anniversary & Food & Wine!

 

[marDgreen88]

HAPPY (late) BIRTHDAY!!!! Hooray! The 21st is a great date for a birthday.

Happy (early) Anniversary, and congrats to Alex! And happy birthday to Alex! Good grief... you weren't kidding about this being a busy time!

YES. I did see that awful news about Splash. UGH. I'd IMAGINE it was because that was the time it would break down the most... I'm hoping that it's just temporary and that they're doing it to work out the kinks! HOPING! I will admit that I avoided it during EMH for this reason...

Agh, I hope the storm avoids yall. Actually I hope it just decides to eat itself and just avoid hitting anywhere!

Oh my goodness! I hope you're actually able to keep these dates. Sounds great!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Okay, I'm back from a small absence, but I'm here getting caught up.

I have to get the phone booth numbers and prank some people too! That's hysterical.

I love those flamingos! Oh Alice and Wonderland.

First monorail ride ever! Awesome! Love love love the monorail.

The Poly is my favorite resort of all time. It's just perfect to me.

My mom and I constantly split our food. Actually, any restaurant we tend to go to, that's our game plan. I get this, you get that, we share.

Philharmagic is always a must do. "Where's my hat!?"

I always use the hang back logic when you're bullpenned into those holding areas. I'm in no hurry, and seeing as though every one else is, I just prefer to go in last. I just don't understand it. Because those 10 extra seconds you gain by pushing past people really makes a difference.

We used to always go to shows like the Hall of Presidents. Fortunately, my oldest brother is a dork like me too, so it didn't take too much convincing from my parents.

Wait, you had never been on the Jungle Cruise before?! Sacrilege!

What a great skipper. It really is about the skipper that makes or breaks that ride for anyone.

Oh, how sweet with the pin trade! It's so great to make a kid's day.

POP's food court is my absolute favorite on property. So many selections!

Poor grumpy couple and their mugs! But then, it was kind of funny too.

I have the same problem when I work out! People always think there's something wrong with you.

Wow, that really was a DISboards convention!

 

[jojosmom23]

congrats and happy happy! we will also be there the same time as you!

 

[Nermel9]

Hope you don't have to change your dates again for your weekend trip! I wish I could just fly down that weekend just for Epcot's 30th! I cannot wait for the Food and Wine festival, I wish it was November already!!!

 

[Aussiesalad]

Congrats to Alex!!
And happy birthday to both of you!!

Such a busy time for you!!!

Grrr I'm still mad about Splash! It's so much more fun when it's at crazy times of the night

Haha make sure you spend that money you saved wisely

 

[MHTeacher]

Congrats on Alex's promotion!

for saving $5! A dole whip....that's good!

Now, about your other news.....I'm really curious!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Wow, the crowds do look crazy! I don't know how you handle running during that.

I would say that your run time was longer because of all of the dang people that you had to deal with!

That's a really good ranking at the finish line.

Howe awesome that your mom made a friend on the race!

Your eyes don't look that crazy in that picture! You just look really excited to me.

I have never been on EE at night, even when AK had evening magic hours. I'm depressed that I missed out.

Hilarious! Your mom and her seatbelt. I've seen people react that way before. Hysterical.

I hate being wrong too. That happened to me in January with my best friend, when I'm telling her "oh yeah, very shortly after New Year's the crowds just die!". Yeah right....

I do love the queue for TSM. It's so cute.

Sitting alone does give you the opportunity to have a better score. There's no one to steal your points.

Yay on beating Alex! My process? Just shoot like a mad woman.

Most of the QS locations at DHS are disappointing. I don't quite understand it, because there are great ones in all of the other parks.

You're going to have a great time on our F&W weekend. Just enjoy it.

 

[amazingact21]

I will be there the same weekend as you how cool, maybe we will run into each other on the 1st (we will be at EPCOT too that day I think!!)

Sounds like you have LOTS going on in life...made me tired just reading congrats to Alex on the promotion how awesome!!!

I'll be sure and keep an eye out for you guys on the 1st! If only so I can say congratulations and ask how awesome your cruise was!

Congrats on the promotion!

Oh the military, they really can mess up the best laid plans, can't they! I'm happy that you are still able to get down there and experience Epcot's 30th! Have you guys thought about what time you are going to get there that morning? I bet its going to be crowded, and I know I want some of the limited edition merchandise, so I was thinking of arriving at the gates around 6 am. Do you think that is early enough? Should I shoot for 5? What are you going to do?

Oh yes, this is the 3rd time the military has made us change this trip. And now we're worried that Hurricane Isaac will mess up our new plans. (they had to postpone something currently going on.)
I really want to buy some of the limited edition merchandise, as well, especially since there's a few Passholder items. I'm not sure when we'll arrive, though. The night before, we're just going to DTD and swimming at the resort, so we should be up bright and early. I'll probably decide on a more definite time the closer I get to the trip.

Congrats on Alex's promotion! I'm glad to know his hard work paid off, and I know you're proud of him too!!

Sorry that you had to move your dates, but glad that it all worked out!

It sounds like you're gonna be busy, but if you still have time to meet up, let me know!

Belated Happy Birthday, and early Happy Anniversary!!

Absolutely. Our plans are still pretty thin, so there's no telling what we'll end up doing. I haven't told my friend about the new dates, yet, so she might not even be able to meet up.
I know you're running the ToT 10-miler (which I just realized starts at 10pm!) but what are you doing earlier that evening and/or day?

Congratulations to Alex for earning a new strip!

Happy Anniversary.

And yeah for moving the trip up by 2 days and saving enough money for an extra dole whip to boot.

Now, I'm wondering what the other news is. I do have a guess.

Yeah for Epcor's Anniversary & Food & Wine!

I'm really looking forward to trying some of the booths at F&W. Last year, I had a cold and couldn't taste anything, so I didn't take advantage of the Festival. Won't pass that up again!

Haha, I'm sure your guess is right. I'm terrible with secrets, so I'm sure before too long I'll post it here on the DISboards, especially since it's all over my Facebook page.


We're looking forward to staying in a preferred room, and since we'd already paid for the trip, it doens't even feel like we're paying more. Win win.

HAPPY (late) BIRTHDAY!!!! Hooray! The 21st is a great date for a birthday.

Happy (early) Anniversary, and congrats to Alex! And happy birthday to Alex! Good grief... you weren't kidding about this being a busy time!

YES. I did see that awful news about Splash. UGH. I'd IMAGINE it was because that was the time it would break down the most... I'm hoping that it's just temporary and that they're doing it to work out the kinks! HOPING! I will admit that I avoided it during EMH for this reason...

Agh, I hope the storm avoids yall. Actually I hope it just decides to eat itself and just avoid hitting anywhere!

Oh my goodness! I hope you're actually able to keep these dates. Sounds great!

I was so sad to hear about Splash. I could understand removing it during the winter, when I'm sure the amount of people who ride it is way less than the cost of paying CMs to run it, but during the summer?! And with shortened EMH hours. Oh well...I'm sure WDW has a grand plan in mind.

It looks like the storm is headed west of us, but we'll still get a bunch of nasty weather. I know all the schools in the area have been cancelled tomorrow and there's, like, no gas at any gas stations!

Okay, I'm back from a small absence, but I'm here getting caught up.

I have to get the phone booth numbers and prank some people too! That's hysterical.

I love those flamingos! Oh Alice and Wonderland.

First monorail ride ever! Awesome! Love love love the monorail.

The Poly is my favorite resort of all time. It's just perfect to me.

My mom and I constantly split our food. Actually, any restaurant we tend to go to, that's our game plan. I get this, you get that, we share.

Philharmagic is always a must do. "Where's my hat!?"

I always use the hang back logic when you're bullpenned into those holding areas. I'm in no hurry, and seeing as though every one else is, I just prefer to go in last. I just don't understand it. Because those 10 extra seconds you gain by pushing past people really makes a difference.

We used to always go to shows like the Hall of Presidents. Fortunately, my oldest brother is a dork like me too, so it didn't take too much convincing from my parents.

Wait, you had never been on the Jungle Cruise before?! Sacrilege!

What a great skipper. It really is about the skipper that makes or breaks that ride for anyone.

Oh, how sweet with the pin trade! It's so great to make a kid's day.

POP's food court is my absolute favorite on property. So many selections!

Poor grumpy couple and their mugs! But then, it was kind of funny too.

I have the same problem when I work out! People always think there's something wrong with you.

Wow, that really was a DISboards convention!

Pop does have a great food court. Alex and I always eat there whether we're staying at the resort or not!

The phone booth prank calls were so much fun. We're planning on doing it again when we go in September. Here's the numbers if you'd like them:

Epcot Left Booth: (this is the one that I have the most success with)
407-827-9862

Epcot Center Booth:
407-827-9863

Epcot Right Booth:
407-827-9861

Sometimes the dial tone will turn into this awful fax noise, so I'd avoid holding it too close to your ear.

congrats and happy happy! we will also be there the same time as you!

Thank you! It's a busy (but great) time for us!

Hope you don't have to change your dates again for your weekend trip! I wish I could just fly down that weekend just for Epcot's 30th! I cannot wait for the Food and Wine festival, I wish it was November already!!!

I have to say, I'm more jealous of your dates! You get Food and Wine AND holiday decorations. Alex and I love that time of the year so much, we've recently decided to postpone a trip for almost a year and go deluxe during December. But more on that way later on...

Congrats to Alex!!
And happy birthday to both of you!!

Such a busy time for you!!!

Grrr I'm still mad about Splash! It's so much more fun when it's at crazy times of the night

Haha make sure you spend that money you saved wisely

I love all the coasters way more when it's 2 o'clock in the morning and there's nobody around. But with EMH hours being cut, that's not going to happen anymore, anyways.

I'll keep that in mind about the money. Make sure not to spend it all in one place.

Congrats on Alex's promotion!

for saving $5! A dole whip....that's good!

Now, about your other news.....I'm really curious!

I'm terrible about keeping secrets, I'm hoping to hold off saying until after my September trip, but I doubt it.

I'm happy about the extra Dole Whip money. Can't complain when there's more ice cream money.

Wow, the crowds do look crazy! I don't know how you handle running during that.

I would say that your run time was longer because of all of the dang people that you had to deal with!

That's a really good ranking at the finish line.

Howe awesome that your mom made a friend on the race!

Your eyes don't look that crazy in that picture! You just look really excited to me.

I have never been on EE at night, even when AK had evening magic hours. I'm depressed that I missed out.

Hilarious! Your mom and her seatbelt. I've seen people react that way before. Hysterical.

I hate being wrong too. That happened to me in January with my best friend, when I'm telling her "oh yeah, very shortly after New Year's the crowds just die!". Yeah right....

I do love the queue for TSM. It's so cute.

Sitting alone does give you the opportunity to have a better score. There's no one to steal your points.

Yay on beating Alex! My process? Just shoot like a mad woman.

Most of the QS locations at DHS are disappointing. I don't quite understand it, because there are great ones in all of the other parks.

You're going to have a great time on our F&W weekend. Just enjoy it.

EE at night has to be one of my favorites. It doesn't even compare to the ride during the daytime. I really wish AK would offer more nighttime EMHs. Having to run a 5K just to ride the attraction at night could get expensive (and exhausting!).


I really want to ride TSM alone now and see how high I can score.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Absolutely. Our plans are still pretty thin, so there's no telling what we'll end up doing. I haven't told my friend about the new dates, yet, so she might not even be able to meet up.
I know you're running the ToT 10-miler (which I just realized starts at 10pm!) but what are you doing earlier that evening and/or day?

As of now, we don't have any plans for that day, and I doubt that will change. We're thinking of taking it easy to try and stay rested up for the race!