It's All Happening! Mission: DGE 2014 is a GO! A June-tiful PTR (COMPLETE: TR POSTED)

[PlutosRHM55]

Y'all Ready For This?

And cue the music! *dun dun dundun dundunna dun dun dundun dundunna*

You know what time it is? Time for the introductions!

Of course, there is me, your fabulously nerdy and Disney obsessed pre-trip planner and experienced to-be trip reporter! I've already given you my intro in the Opening Post, but I might as well give you a photo from my last trip to Disney a little over two years ago and one from now. Some more perspective right?


(From two years ago)


(From this summer)

Now, for the cast list of this trip! While not nearly as fabulous as moi or obsessed with Disney, they are what make this trip worthwhile. And are welcomed part of the show So...

Y'all ready for this?

First up is the one who implemented the idea of having this trip versus the trip this PTR originally intended and my bestest friend in the world...

JOCELYN


(Montmorrency Falls, Quebec City, 2012)

I've been to Disney with Jocelyn once before on my previous trip. We had a wonderful time! A very short trip, but we made due. She has probably been to Disney the most out of the four of us having gone since the Millenium Celebration in 2000 (JEALOUS)! She isn't a huge Disney freak like me but always has a great time when she comes. This girl is not one for the dark rides like she absolutely hates and I'm not lying when I say hate, but hates Spaceship Earth and... so awful I have to say this... The Haunted Mansion. *a resounding gasp from the DISBoards* I know, it kills me too since that's my all-time fave and then Spaceship Earth is by far my favorite ride in EPCOT. Either way, she's always very entertaining, into the spontaneity of doing something completely out of the ordinary. A lot of those crazy moments from my last trip were thanks to her. She also is a pin trader so that will be contributing. And due to a shared love of Ice Cream, we've already made plans to conquer the Kitchen Sink, will we succeed? Well, you'll have to wait a little bit for that. She's been my best friend since elementary school so it's awesome how we'll be able to make this trip together as we transition into the world of college and adulthood, especially considering she wasn't able to go on the chorus and band trip due to basketball. SO happy we've avoided that!

After Jocelyn, we have another returning player. I present to you...

NATHAN


(Used this photo a million times- Downtown Disney, Disney World 2011)

Nathan, or Nate as I'll probably call him, was also a big part of my last TR. In this list of four, he's probably the closest to being a DisNerd. His favorite park is EPCOT and if it were up to him, I'm sure he'd just stay in World Showcase for a whole trip. He loves it there and I'm so excited because that will be one of the main focuses of this trip is EPCOT since it was sadly neglected in favor of Future World attractions on my last trip. But this trip I'm on a mission to make up for that lost time. Nate is probably the smartest and nicest kid I know. He's a huge computer nerd but you would never know because he's so personable and could start a conversation with anyone. We balance each other out like that since I'm much more reserved and interpersonal. But we're both very much alike, always have done well in school and nerd out about everything. We're quite the dynamic duo. He's also the one who got me into pin trading so to say the least, this will be a trip of epic pin trading proportions too. Nate is the one who lives in another state and after having him come back to his home state to visit, I'll be visiting him this time. Yup, I'll probably spend a few days with him then fly down from his local airport. He was never in the cards for the chorus and band trip, but now that he is for this one well... the more the merrier! It's gonna be a blast!

And last, but certainly not least, the most unfamiliar face of the bunch, I proudly introduce...

VICTORIA


(Rockefeller Center, New York City 2013)

I might have mentioned her a few times, but she's relatively new to the DIS world in terms of my TRs. We've only been friends for about... four years, but it hasn't been until these past few years that we're this close. If anything, even though we all are quite the group, she is by far the craziest. Jocelyn might be the self-proclaimed comedian in the crowd, but Victoria comes out with some ridiculous things. The problem is trying to figure out if she's joking or not. She's scatterbrained, over-the-top and a bit neurotic, but we love her anyways. I mean, her dropping out of the chorus and band trip was the deciding factor in this trip. She also was the one who brought up adding a day. I don't know, but she might be the good luck charm. Victoria is another one like Nate who is very much into EPCOT. On one of her past trips, she took the Behind the Seeds tour and fell in love with Living With The Land. I think that is by far one of the most underrated attractions and I'm so happy she's into that kind of stuff whereas Jocelyn and Nate are more thrill junkies. Her family is also crazy obsessed with pin trading and her mom mentioned how she'll probably send us down with pins to trade off. Victoria isn't big into that like her family, but with Jocelyn, Nate and I involved, she's up to it. She is not entirely into the idea of Disney magic and all that stuff, but I'm hoping by this trip we'll convert her especially after staying in the most Disneyfied resort at a Disney park EVER! Oh yes, that will change her mind.

Speaking of which, here are the REAL deets!

We've decided, instead of chancing it with leaving only a few days after graduation, we'll have a week in case New England weather throws us a curveball. Those dates will then be... June 23rd through the 28th! And if a day is added, we'll stay up through the 29th. At this point, no confirmation on that part.

For resorts, I basically gave it away and while we aren't booked yet, we are pretty set on paying for those five nights at...

ART OF ANIMATION!

(Credit to Google Images)

Yup, after pricing each one of the value resorts and even with the price being higher for AoA, the difference wasn't staggering enough so we're staying there and will all be sharing one...

LITTLE MERMAID STANDARD ROOM!

(Credit to Enchanting Adventures)

We were going to do split rooms, but it really was too much and each of us is okay with managing only two beds. I slept on the floor of the All Star Music Resort and it was fine. I almost actually preferred it since I would get up so early and chances are I'll be going solo often. So this might be good and I love the theming of these rooms.

Too perfect!

For these six days and five nights, we'll have five day park hopper MYW passes plus a one day ticket to both parks at Universal Studios. Still looking into how we'll do that, but I think a cab we'll be fine at this point. We weren't exactly planning to be THAT frugal on a trip to Disney and cab won't make us break the bank so I'm not going to worry about it too much. The Magical Express will be free, there's the money right there!

We are also going to be on the regular Disney Dining Plan. For our table service credits, I'm hoping we'll split it up by each of us picking one place to go to each night then for the night left opened, we'll just battle it out. All's fair in food and war. I'm still hung up on Be Our Guest for my choice, but I'm waiting to hear what everybody else wants and I'll figure it out from there. I might be too late by then, who knows? We have a couple months until ADRs are open for June so we have even more time to think about that.

Besides that, nothing else is certain. Our trip details are still saved in the cart on my Disney account and I've ordered a Disney Planning DVD to help maybe boost my chances with the deals. And I'm still a bit unaware on how the paying and changing reservations thing goes once you've booked a trip, if anyone could explain that to me it would be greatly appreciated.

Until then, I'm hoping it all goes smoothly and we don't have to worry about too much. Trying to focus on school while this is happening and it's getting tough, but I'll hold together. Might have to put my own happy thoughts and pixie dust to use this time around.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and that whoever was down for the Unleash The Villains event or has gone to MNSSHP thus far had a fantastic time!

46 DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN!

Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



More Planning​

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[PlutosRHM55]

Congrats on your new plan!

While Universal is no Disney, it is still an amazing Theme Park. You have Spider-man way too low on your list- that ride is AMAZING! It's hard to describe how fabulous it is! And HP is also a true art- I have never screamed so much on a ride!

Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

Thanks! I am so happy they are working out.

I am excited then! I have heard amazing things about Spider-Man but I am still not hugely excited about it as with the others. Maybe once I go on my mind will be changed. I don't know, we'll see!

Awesome! And

 

[Jazzabelle508]

Hi Timmy!!!!! This is Jenny (Jazzyjen508 on Twitter). I'm so excited you are going to be finally going back 2 Disney!!!! I'm only on the second update but I just wanted to chime in . I'm totally one of those people you mentioned who doesn't remember their first visit to Disney! I was a baby at the time and the only thing i've heard about that trip is that I learned how to walk in Disney. My first trip I remember was back when the castle was decorated like a birthday cake so I feel very nostalgic about that time in Disney History although I also feel nostalgic about the millennium celebration! I love that you are also a huge fan of Harry Potter! I'm STILL sad WWOHP isn't in Disney! I love that you also want to do a story about Lupin's Son! I've thought she should have continued that story since I felt that that storyline was meant as a complete-the-circle/continuation story. I'm happy about the fact that a new Harry Potter World Based movie is in the works!!!!! Anyway i'm going back to finish reading this PTR.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Hi Timmy!!!!! This is Jenny (Jazzyjen508 on Twitter). I'm so excited you are going to be finally going back 2 Disney!!!! I'm only on the second update but I just wanted to chime in . I'm totally one of those people you mentioned who doesn't remember their first visit to Disney! I was a baby at the time and the only thing i've heard about that trip is that I learned how to walk in Disney. My first trip I remember was back when the castle was decorated like a birthday cake so I feel very nostalgic about that time in Disney History although I also feel nostalgic about the millennium celebration! I love that you are also a huge fan of Harry Potter! I'm STILL sad WWOHP isn't in Disney! I love that you also want to do a story about Lupin's Son! I've thought she should have continued that story since I felt that that storyline was meant as a complete-the-circle/continuation story. I'm happy about the fact that a new Harry Potter World Based movie is in the works!!!!! Anyway i'm going back to finish reading this PTR.

Hi Jenny!

Well, I'm glad you decided to chime in. I'm excited too, of course. This has been a long time coming.

Still, that's really cool about having gone to Disney since before you could talk or were still learning the ways of the world. I don't have any long ago childhood attachment to Disney World. It's all come in recent years. And that's so cool how your first memory of the park was of the Cake Castle. I'm sure that's probably would've been what I came in contact if my parents had brought me when I was a baby. Either that or just after it. I do get that feeling of nostalgia for the Millennium Celebration because that was the promotion happening when I first got to really glimpse Disney World as a whole theme park not just hearing people talk about it. To say the least, I was disappointed when I discovered there was no longer a parade at EPCOT on my first trip.

LOVE Harry Potter! That would've been awesome if WWoHP was in Disney, but I don't think Disney would know where to put it. I don't know where I'd put it so I think it's good where it is. And I totally forgot about that! Honestly, it'd be such a cool story to see what happened to Teddy Lupin and how he was affected by the fact his parents died before he was old. And I'm so excited about the "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them" movie too! No end for the fandom in sight yet! I'm wondering how they'll do it though. It's a school book like... well I'm sure they'll do something amazing! I'm excited to see the casting!

Again, thanks for joining in!

 

[Tink2Day]

You're in school I'm sure but just wanted to let you know that your Haunted Mansion shirt may be on it's way, we just received notification that ours were just shipped.
I know you have an iPhone (saw your cases) but not sure if you have access to it at school.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

You're in school I'm sure but just wanted to let you know that your Haunted Mansion shirt may be on it's way, we just received notification that ours were just shipped. I know you have an iPhone (saw your cases) but not sure if you have access to it at school.

I got an email from the DisneyStore too today that it was on it's way! Should arrive by this weekend then! SO EXCITED!

Thanks for alerting me!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Nice job on AP Calc! Not for me, no sir.

Awesome that you won the Allears.net prize!

Art of Animation! That's exciting. I still haven't visited the resort, but I'm definitely going to go to see it next time we visit.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Nice job on AP Calc! Not for me, no sir. Awesome that you won the Allears.net prize! Art of Animation! That's exciting. I still haven't visited the resort, but I'm definitely going to go to see it next time we visit.

Haha, thanks!

I am SO excited that on my first trip back I am going to the newest Disney resort. Those years of waiting are paying off. Hope you get it to see when you go back!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Timmy! I'm getting caught up and I've been captivated by several of your topics in your update!! First of all congratulations on winning the gift pack for the Where in the World contest. I love that game but I don't participate - I just test myself! The merch inside the bag is one of the things that fascinated me - Especially the CoP brochures. That is some pretty awesome stuff. What I love about you is that this is all so meaningful. You get it!!

Love your trip plans. This will be such a great trip.

I wish you luck with your AP classes and the yogurt shop interview.

You asked which shirt for the Villains... hmmm.... I'd pick the one for which I like the character better and you don't see many Hades shirts so that would be my pick.

As for booking and changing room reservations... I do this all the time. for a package they should be able to transfer any amount paid as long as you keep your booking a package. Since I usually book a room only they rarely do that, they simply credit my original payment back and I start all over. I'm not sure I'm helpful or answered your question with that. Maybe that wasn't even your question!!

BTW: I was supposed to do a behind the scenes Halloween tour at Disneyland on Friday the 13th but had to cancel because of my ankle injury. I would have died being there for all the festivities. My friends went ahead and did the tour and said that is was incredible.

Hope you have a great weekend!!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I'm joining in on this PTR!

You definitely remind me of one of my friends; his favorite Harry Potter character is Lupin, Spaceship Earth is one of his favorite rides, and he's a big Disney geek too!

You'll absolutely fall in love with WWoHP. I promise.

Congratulations on your finalized plans! Wooo!

Now I'm going to go over to your chorus/band TR! My high school band took a trip to the World last April, so I can't wait to hear about that from a different person's point of view!
The limited time on those kinds of trips are rather unfortunate, but I suppose all you can do is make the best of it.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Hi Timmy! I'm getting caught up and I've been captivated by several of your topics in your update!! First of all congratulations on winning the gift pack for the Where in the World contest. I love that game but I don't participate - I just test myself! The merch inside the bag is one of the things that fascinated me - Especially the CoP brochures. That is some pretty awesome stuff. What I love about you is that this is all so meaningful. You get it!!

Love your trip plans. This will be such a great trip.

I wish you luck with your AP classes and the yogurt shop interview.

You asked which shirt for the Villains... hmmm.... I'd pick the one for which I like the character better and you don't see many Hades shirts so that would be my pick.

As for booking and changing room reservations... I do this all the time. for a package they should be able to transfer any amount paid as long as you keep your booking a package. Since I usually book a room only they rarely do that, they simply credit my original payment back and I start all over. I'm not sure I'm helpful or answered your question with that. Maybe that wasn't even your question!!

BTW: I was supposed to do a behind the scenes Halloween tour at Disneyland on Friday the 13th but had to cancel because of my ankle injury. I would have died being there for all the festivities. My friends went ahead and did the tour and said that is was incredible.

Hope you have a great weekend!!

Hi Brenda!

Glad to hear that! And thank you! I still can't believe how I actually won something like that. I always did it for fun, test myself like you do, but I would enter and not think anything of it! Then, I WIN! Crazy! Deb Wills really did an awesome job putting together the great gift bag. My favorite is still the AoA mouse pad Albeit, she did this all for a complete stranger and by herself! I was so appreciative of that and didn't want to take anything for granted! Not everyday do you receive something like that. It's the little things in life.

Thank you! And you bet it will! Still many more plans to come.

Thanks! I had a rough week with both, but I'll save that for the update.

Haha, that's the one I chose! Everyone who answered my plea for help said Hades so I went with. Can't wait to get that!

Nope, that's exactly what I was asking. Thank you!

Awww, I'm sorry to hear you missed out on that. And Unleash The Villains too! I've been watching videos on Instagram and Disneyland looked just as much fun as Hollywood Studios. Hope your ankle feels better soon!

You too! Have a magical day!

I'm joining in on this PTR!

You definitely remind me of one of my friends; his favorite Harry Potter character is Lupin, Spaceship Earth is one of his favorite rides, and he's a big Disney geek too!

You'll absolutely fall in love with WWoHP. I promise.

Congratulations on your finalized plans! Wooo!

Now I'm going to go over to your chorus/band TR! My high school band took a trip to the World last April, so I can't wait to hear about that from a different person's point of view!
The limited time on those kinds of trips are rather unfortunate, but I suppose all you can do is make the best of it.

Happy to have you!

That's awesome! Your friend must be one cool dude!

Oh I know that. I already have.

Thanks! I'm so excited! Can't wait to get to the nitty-gritty with y'all once I've booked it all

Well... I'm sorry to tell you but that trip is no more. I'm actually going in June now for a longer time with just a small group of friends. I've taken that trip before so if you want to see what's up with that, the TR is in my sig, it's the February 2011 one. But yeah, I agree. I did have enough time to get to every park on that trip, but we couldn't do a ton in every park so it was about making the best of it and we TOTALLY did. I'd love to read about your experience if you wrote a TR, very rare to see school trip TRs on here.

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Happy to have you!

That's awesome! Your friend must be one cool dude!

Oh I know that. I already have.

Thanks! I'm so excited! Can't wait to get to the nitty-gritty with y'all once I've booked it all

Well... I'm sorry to tell you but that trip is no more. I'm actually going in June now for a longer time with just a small group of friends. I've taken that trip before so if you want to see what's up with that, the TR is in my sig, it's the February 2011 one. But yeah, I agree. I did have enough time to get to every park on that trip, but we couldn't do a ton in every park so it was about making the best of it and we TOTALLY did. I'd love to read about your experience if you wrote a TR, very rare to see school trip TRs on here.

Oh, what I meant by looking at your chorus trip was the one you did two years ago! No worries!

One of my friends actually wrote the trip report for our band trip and you can find that here: LUCKY NUMBER ELEVEN! And this time, we brought newbies!

We'd love it if you would read that!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Oh, what I meant by looking at your chorus trip was the one you did two years ago! No worries! One of my friends actually wrote the trip report for our band trip and you can find that here: LUCKY NUMBER ELEVEN! And this time, we brought newbies! We'd love it if you would read that!

Oh lol Well I guess I said what I should've said haha

Definitely! I'll head over there right away.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

But You'll Be In My Heart, From This Day On! Everyone Hail to the Pumpkin Song!

HELLO HUMANS!!!!!

*EVERYONE SCREAMS*

Yes, I'm still alive. For those of you following along with my Twitter know I've been swamped. These AP classes are eating me alive. People were not kidding when they told me how crazy it was to take four, now I understand and it's too late to back out. I will make it though since there is a lot of good stuff happening otherwise, I mean, these AP classes might have a hefty work load and tough learning material, but I feel it's not for nothing. I feel there is some real preparation going on for those exams unlike last year. So that's good and I think that's what is keeping me going so hopefully I will make it out alive then.

Unfortunately, this really cuts down on my free time,which is the reason why I haven't been able to post an update. On top of AP classes, I'm in this midst of applying to colleges and going through that process. Not to mention Senior project. I've also added two new theater productions on my plate (one of which I have a very big part). I did mention this before, but I'm really now at a point where I can say it's a lot to handle on its own. It does seem I'm biting off more than I can chew, but I'm trying to refocus my priorities for the time being and that means some sacrifices.

One of these is this PTR. No, I'm not closing it up! Never. BUT since I am going to be booking soon but an update every two weeks more or less is going to be the norm. Probably will be longer until my next one since we are still waiting to finally book and there isn't much to talk about until that happens so it could be awhile, but I'm not going to leave you guys in the dark at all, I'll do my best to carry you ever until then for sure.

I do have some news about the trip though. Victoria has pulled out again for reasons I don't understand and at this point think she wasn't on board to begin with. We'll miss her dearly though. A picture if you will...



But Nate and Jocelyn are still completely on board; the original three are still together. I haven't talked much about the trip with them lately so I've decided to wait out trying to figure out our ADRs especially now since we can actually have more freedom with that.

OKAY, ENOUGH SERIOUSNESS! TIME FOR SOME PIXIE DUST!

Got some mail over these past few weeks. I first received an envelope from @SparklyNicole, one of the lovely Disney people on twitter, with my UNLEASH THE VILLAINS AUTOGRAPH CARD!





It came in as planned! It was one card, yes with autographs on both sides among these FROLLO, MEG, PAIN, PANIC AND DR. FACILIER! And on top of it, I did end up ordering the Villains shirt I talked about last time so Timmy is going to be all villain'd out for the next trip. Hopefully that will lead me in the right direction during those little character hunts.

Speaking of t-shirts, my limited edition Hatbox Ghost t-shirt arrived!!!!!


(Yes, it's edited, but it still looks awesome!)

Again, packaged with Disney detail to spare!







Oh, I love Disney! Have I mentioned that?

Shout-out to Tink2Day on this one! Hope you got yours too!

Too much pixie dust? I think not, but I can't be more grateful. It really gives you perspective when you receive so much good in your life during some tough times. Helps you understand why there are tough periods and why you stick them out. It says to me, that there are good things to come and that I can know I'm doing the right thing. All I can hope for is my outlook is true and this will be the most crazy, stressful albeit amazing year EVER!

Yeah, I'm going with high expectations this time. I know this year will be life changing without a doubt.

Now, since the stressful part entails busy, I guess I should follow up on my word of "carrying you through" to the next update. To keep you occupied, I have a little game that I'll hope you'll play along with. Actually, it's not exactly a game, but either way, I think it'll be something that will keep this PTR alive when I'm not I'll call it:

DISTalk Roundtable

And this is how it works:

I'll state my opinion on a fairly hot topic surrounding the Disney company whether it be the parks, films or ANYTHING, but is current. Then, I will ask a question about it and likewise you can state an answer to the question, discuss what you think of the topic. Of course, I'm going to add some "rules" so-to-speak since I'd rather this not turn into the Rumors board or Twitter where things can get heated about certain topics. I want this to be a nice calm discussion where we are free to state our opinions without getting offended so opinions need to be stated professionally. Try to be conscious someone may not be fond of what you say so state your claim lightly. We aren't in a mad court house. I generally won't pick topics that can be hard hitting, but still everyone is passionate about different things in the world of Disney so what may seem trivial to one person is not to another. In a nutshell, keep it nice.

With that said, I don't want it to be exclusively me responding to the opinions, but I encourage my readers to interact. There is a really great writer-to-reader relationship happening on these boards, but reader-to-reader does lack a bit at times so I think this would be nice to jump start that. Still, got to put a disclaimer in front of it, just in case.

Okay. With that out of the way. Here is the first topic! I have a bit of an introduction for this one...

A little over a week ago, following the unveiling of the Princess Fairytale Hall in Magic Kingdom, Ariel's face character makeover was revealed as well! I discovered pictures of this on Twitter and Instagram. Here is what I found:


(Credit to @instragrambynay)


(Credit to @instagrambynay)

The biggest change you probably can see is Ariel got a new dress! She's now dressed in a more ball gown-esque dress, more sparkles and light capturing then the last with nice little mermaid touches like the shell on the collar (don't know what it's called). She also has new shoes with little shells on them. The starfish has been taken out of her hair and she is overall more princess-ified.

This is what the old dress looked like for perspective:


(Credit to Google Images)

I'm sure most know what the rest looks like, but that's the general idea.

Overall, this is probably the first of the princess makeovers I really don't like in terms of the dresses. The new dress doesn't seem very Ariel at all to me. The old dress had this feel like Ariel had worn it in the movie when in reality she didn't. She wore something like it, but still everyone looks at the dress and would know she wore it. With the new one, it looks as if any princess could've worn it. Aside from the little details, which can be barely defined, the dress looks like a ballgown any princess could've warn. And on top of it, THEY GOT RID OF THE STARFISH IN HER HAIR! Of all things. That's really what defined Ariel for people meeting her and still is for those checking out Ariel's Grotto *point point*


(Credit to Google Images)

Why change that? I think the one good take away from the makeover is the dress does have a more magical quality, the colors are much brighter and it stands out, but still the dress seems a bit too regal for a character like Ariel. I think they need to go back to the original outfit or at least make this one more to the original cartoon.

At the same time, Ariel's features (red hair for example), personality quirks (squeaky voice) and such that really defined her from the start have not changed. She still is the same Ariel and this is all what will matter to me when I meet her in the parks. While this does not hinder me from meeting them, it does disappoint me Disney has this idea they have to "improve the classic looks."

As I noted earlier, this isn't the first princess makeover to happen. Actually, this might be the last to enter into the parks. Cinderella, Aurora and Belle have all undergone wardrobe changes and make-up changes. It's been quite a talked about topic since it's been years since any updates have been made to the princesses especially in terms of design and marketing. Some like the changes, some don't, some are on the fence and some go back-and-forth.

I'd like to hear what you think so far.

What do you think of these "Princess Makeovers" and how do you think Disney should proceed with them?

Not too bad. A very light subject that fizzles out and pops up again. But I'm all for discussing it while I'm upset about what happened to Ariel, I liked some of the changes. I'm interested to hear how are thoughts compare.

Let the round table commence!

That's it for this update. I hope everyone's transitioning well from summer to fall. I'm personally excited for some of the festivities to come, I mean, HALLOWEEN! I don't trick-or-treat anymore but I LOVE movies especially SCARY MOVIES! It's become a thing with my friends to watch them so hopefully I'll be digging more into the archives with the classics and some new ones too. And watching Jocelyn cry the whole time the movie is going and then asking to schedule another night to watch them.

Yeah, that is what I have to deal them.

Besides that, I love the decorations, the TV specials, the foliage, the food (aka my mom's INCREDIBLE apple pie and LOTS of it) and the change in tone you don't get any other time of the year. It's awesome!

Again, hope everyone has been enjoying fall so far and that you all have a wonderful week ahead of you! See you on the flipside!

33 DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN!

Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



More Planning​

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[Tink2Day]

Great update so far, sorry to hear about Victoria, I was a bit afraid of that though.
Still if Nate and Jocelyn are all in it should be good. Might be better with a fourth, just for even numbers on the rides.... and sharing the cost.

Yes we got our awesome shirts, we've already been out to buy long sleeve black t shirts to wear under them. Debated on the 13th shirts but I really liked the Disneyland one best , I'd already spent my limit though since I bought a new Tink pin for me the Haunted Mansion music box for me and some things for the grandkids.
Wow you have really been scoring on the Disney freebies lately!

My eldest grandson is taking AP History and also a law class. He's been doing something for his drama class and was watching a few old musicals and a classic movie and deciding which to do his monologues on . So he can relate with the busy schedule somewhat.
He's sad he doesn't get to perform at a haunted house this year though, the different schools take turns. Although there are tons of them here.

I know you're a Breaking Bad fan, there were viewing parties around our city. I guess I'm terrible, I've seen a couple of the actors around town but never got into the show.

Anyway sounds like you're super busy but don't forget to enjoy this time in your life, you can never get it back and someday you'll realize how great it is/was!

PS I agree on the modernization of the princesses. Most of these tales are from days long gone by and I think Ariel's dress is not an improvement, those sleeves....what were they thinking???

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Great update so far, sorry to hear about Victoria, I was a bit afraid of that though.
Still if Nate and Jocelyn are all in it should be good. Might be better with a fourth, just for even numbers on the rides.... and sharing the cost.

Yes we got our awesome shirts, we've already been out to buy long sleeve black t shirts to wear under them. Debated on the 13th shirts but I really liked the Disneyland one best , I'd already spent my limit though since I bought a new Tink pin for me the Haunted Mansion music box for me and some things for the grandkids.
Wow you have really been scoring on the Disney freebies lately!

My eldest grandson is taking AP History and also a law class. He's been doing something for his drama class and was watching a few old musicals and a classic movie and deciding which to do his monologues on . So he can relate with the busy schedule somewhat.
He's sad he doesn't get to perform at a haunted house this year though, the different schools take turns. Although there are tons of them here.

I know you're a Breaking Bad fan, there were viewing parties around our city. I guess I'm terrible, I've seen a couple of the actors around town but never got into the show.

Anyway sounds like you're super busy but don't forget to enjoy this time in your life, you can never get it back and someday you'll realize how great it is/was!

PS I agree on the modernization of the princesses. Most of these tales are from days long gone by and I think Ariel's dress is not an improvement, those sleeves....what were they thinking???

Yeah, but it definitely seemed by then she was NOT into it so I'm fine with three. We originally priced it all out for two in a room and I think the price might actually go down with less than four so I think we're set.

Awesome! That shirt is probably one of my most prized Disney purchases, they did a fantastic job and I OWN IT! AAAAAAHHHHH SO AWESOME! And wow, you really went crazy with the merch. Wish I had a job right now so I could get a haunted mansion music box.

Oh boy. Good luck to him! I wish my school had a popular enough drama program that there would be a good class, but sadly there isn't. I mean they have a film seminar but I wanted to get in enough APs as possible. What musicals and old films has he watched? I'm big into that stuff so I love to hear. I know my advisor was showing a lot of Ingmar Bergman so I'm wondering what another teacher is doing all the way on the other side of the country.

Awww, sorry to that. Totally understand too. I used to do that when I was in 4-H Dog Shows, but that stopped awhile back. I'm hoping that when I'm in college there is a commercial haunted house around I could work at, they are so much fun!

Wow, very cool. It's really not for everybody, lots of controversial hardcore stuff going on. I'm trying to get my mom into it since my dad wants nothing to do with it. Definitely give it a good try, it's really one of the most well-acted and well-constructed shows to be ever televised IMO

I sure will. Hopefully these AP classes won't start eating me alive so I really can.

I know right! It seems like they combined Giselle's dress with Ariel's and got a creative hot mess. Not a fan. Well, again, at least you can still meet her in true mermaid form without the sleeves lol

 

[Tink2Day]

Yeah, but it definitely seemed by then she was NOT into it so I'm fine with three. We originally priced it all out for two in a room and I think the price might actually go down with less than four so I think we're set.

Awesome! That shirt is probably one of my most prized Disney purchases, they did a fantastic job and I OWN IT! AAAAAAHHHHH SO AWESOME! And wow, you really went crazy with the merch. Wish I had a job right now so I could get a haunted mansion music box.

Oh boy. Good luck to him! I wish my school had a popular enough drama program that there would be a good class, but sadly there isn't. I mean they have a film seminar but I wanted to get in enough APs as possible. What musicals and old films has he watched? I'm big into that stuff so I love to hear. I know my advisor was showing a lot of Ingmar Bergman so I'm wondering what another teacher is doing all the way on the other side of the country.

Awww, sorry to that. Totally understand too. I used to do that when I was in 4-H Dog Shows, but that stopped awhile back. I'm hoping that when I'm in college there is a commercial haunted house around I could work at, they are so much fun!

Wow, very cool. It's really not for everybody, lots of controversial hardcore stuff going on. I'm trying to get my mom into it since my dad wants nothing to do with it. Definitely give it a good try, it's really one of the most well-acted and well-constructed shows to be ever televised IMO

I sure will. Hopefully these AP classes won't start eating me alive so I really can.

I know right! It seems like they combined Giselle's dress with Ariel's and got a creative hot mess. Not a fan. Well, again, at least you can still meet her in true mermaid form without the sleeves lol

Right I know the difference in price for us was around $700 adding another person and most of that was airfare.

The music box is very cool. My grandson loved it (but it's allllll mine!!!). He got a Jack Skellington jacket so he is happy.

His school has around 1800 students. Not the biggest here, but not the smallest either. They have an indoor swimming pool, their own theater, large gym etc. Not the best facilities of the schools but sufficient.
He said there is an approved list but he doesn't want to do one that a lot of the others will do, like Grease, West Side Story so he was looking at getting approval for Singing in The Rain, Carousel and the older ones like that. I thought Brigadoon would be a good one. Also he likes the older movies so not sure what drama he wanted to try, I'll ask.

Breaking Bad? The actors whined about everything here (well one of them at least). I think they got a good feel for what would go over on the show from some of the seedier/tougher parts of town. I read that the final script was stolen from Brian's car so they had to change it up a bit.

I think there are at least a dozen or more commercial haunted houses here but there are around 35 public and private High Schools in the city proper and another 8 or 9 in small towns right outside the city so there's lots of kids wanting to get into the productions.

Ariel's dress? Those sleeves look like the athletic shirts made from spandex or whatever that shiny material is. Maybe it helps her run faster or swim faster

 

[emmysmommy]

Too much pixie dust? I think not, but I can't be more grateful. It really gives you perspective when you receive so much good in your life during some tough times. Helps you understand why there are tough periods and why you stick them out. It says to me, that there are good things to come and that I can know I'm doing the right thing. All I can hope for is my outlook is true and this will be the most crazy, stressful albeit amazing year EVER!

Yeah, I'm going with high expectations this time. I know this year will be life changing without a doubt.

Very nicely said about the challenges of the year. The pay off in the end will be worthwhile so hang in there!!

A little over a week ago, following the unveiling of the Princess Fairytale Hall in Magic Kingdom, Ariel's face character makeover was revealed as well! I discovered pictures of this on Twitter and Instagram. Here is what I found:[/SIZE]


(Credit to @instragrambynay)


(Credit to @instagrambynay)

I say, bring back the starfish hair swag!

As for the new dress, I'm not liking the sheer sleeve but I love the color. On the other hand, Ariel does have nice shoulders!

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi Timmy! I stumbled across your PTR while procrastinating on homework today and I am on board! In August 2011 my friend and I did a high school graduation celebration trip and it was soooo much fun.

Ahh! AoA is going to be so fun! I've never stayed there but my mom and sister stayed in a Little Mermaid room in December and adored it.

There may be a Mears-esque shuttle you can take to US, I vaguely remember looking into it when my friend and I were thinking about a US day. A cab would work well too though

APs and college apps are no joke. Good luck!

As far as princess dresses, Ariel's is the only one I don't particularly care for. I love the color but I'm not a huge fan of the sleeves and I miss the starfish. I LOVE the new Belle dress though. Belle has always been my favorite princess so I was wary when I heard about the makeover, but I'm obsessed. I just think the new dress is a much nicer color and I love the rose detailing on it! I understand that people want the princesses to stay in their classic dresses, but I think the new Belle, Cinderella, and Aurora dresses are beautiful so I'm okay with it.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Right I know the difference in price for us was around $700 adding another person and most of that was airfare.

The music box is very cool. My grandson loved it (but it's allllll mine!!!). He got a Jack Skellington jacket so he is happy.

His school has around 1800 students. Not the biggest here, but not the smallest either. They have an indoor swimming pool, their own theater, large gym etc. Not the best facilities of the schools but sufficient.
He said there is an approved list but he doesn't want to do one that a lot of the others will do, like Grease, West Side Story so he was looking at getting approval for Singing in The Rain, Carousel and the older ones like that. I thought Brigadoon would be a good one. Also he likes the older movies so not sure what drama he wanted to try, I'll ask.

Breaking Bad? The actors whined about everything here (well one of them at least). I think they got a good feel for what would go over on the show from some of the seedier/tougher parts of town. I read that the final script was stolen from Brian's car so they had to change it up a bit.

I think there are at least a dozen or more commercial haunted houses here but there are around 35 public and private High Schools in the city proper and another 8 or 9 in small towns right outside the city so there's lots of kids wanting to get into the productions.

Ariel's dress? Those sleeves look like the athletic shirts made from spandex or whatever that shiny material is. Maybe it helps her run faster or swim faster

Yeah, well good thing I might not have to worry about having so many people anymore.

Haha, I could totally go for a Jack Skellington jacket too. That'll be my mission to find an awesome Disney sweatshirt on this trip.

Well, that sounds bigger than my school, but mine's probably one of the smallest out there so no comparison there. I mean, my graduating class is probably just over 100. Yeah, it'll be a big change in college since I'm looking at MUCH bigger schools.

Those are still some great shows. West Side Story is one of my faves and I LOVE Singin' in the Rain. Carousel I think is one of the classic Rodgers and Hammersteins I have yet to see. I just heard about Brigadoon and that one really intrigues me. I like the whole plot behind it. He definitely has a great list going there. I would also recommend R&H's Cinderella (either version), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Victor/Victoria and Cabaret. A lot of those are not well known and I think would probably be on the approved list (though I would check on Cabaret).

Well, it definitely paid off because it really is quite the authentic show and extremely well-done.

Awww, I wish that was how it was here. The closest to us is a good half hour away. *sigh* One day I will work at one again! One day!

LOL, yeah that's it.

Very nicely said about the challenges of the year. The pay off in the end will be worthwhile so hang in there!!

I say, bring back the starfish hair swag!

As for the new dress, I'm not liking the sheer sleeve but I love the color. On the other hand, Ariel does have nice shoulders!

Thanks! I'll get through it, I always do, but you always need that reassurance and support.

For reals! #BringBackTheStarfish

I actually like the color too, it almost looks like as if it is made out of the bluest of oceans, but everything else... needs some fixing.

Hi Timmy! I stumbled across your PTR while procrastinating on homework today and I am on board! In August 2011 my friend and I did a high school graduation celebration trip and it was soooo much fun.

Ahh! AoA is going to be so fun! I've never stayed there but my mom and sister stayed in a Little Mermaid room in December and adored it.

There may be a Mears-esque shuttle you can take to US, I vaguely remember looking into it when my friend and I were thinking about a US day. A cab would work well too though

APs and college apps are no joke. Good luck!

As far as princess dresses, Ariel's is the only one I don't particularly care for. I love the color but I'm not a huge fan of the sleeves and I miss the starfish. I LOVE the new Belle dress though. Belle has always been my favorite princess so I was wary when I heard about the makeover, but I'm obsessed. I just think the new dress is a much nicer color and I love the rose detailing on it! I understand that people want the princesses to stay in their classic dresses, but I think the new Belle, Cinderella, and Aurora dresses are beautiful so I'm okay with it.

Hi! Glad you could join in! You'll be so much help if you're familiar with a trip like this.

Awesome! Really so excited to be staying in AoA especially after being gone for so long. It's almost too perfect.

I'm hopefully going to be looking into that a lot more once I have everything booked up and finally get a plan together there, but the cab seems a safe bet.

They really are. Thanks!

I love Belle's dress too. I wish they had kept it as it was supposed to be based off the original film drawings, but in some way I actually think this is more authentic to that original dress and the hair too because her hair was down and didn't exactly have a bun. I like Aurora's dress, but I feel it is way too different from the film that it's hard to accept. I think bringing out Aurora with her blue dress would've been a much better marketing ploy because people forget that the dress wasn't always pink.