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

[PlutosRHM55]

Kringla had a ham,cheese and apple sandwich that looked yummy but I knew I had to have fish and chips from Yorkshire....plus some snacks from the F&W booths.
We bought a giant iced sugar cookie at Sweet Spells earlier and then dropped in to the Writer's Stop and someone got a coffee there to go with the cookie. I was busy checking out the reading corner. We were waiting for the OF light show on the Streets of America, also doing a little pin trading with a CM on the street.
Starbucks is good, when we're at home NOT in WDW where we go to escape the norm.

Also don't believe what I read on a thread somewhere that SB makes a drink similar to Butterbeer. I tried it this weekend and it was hideous.

Oh and I am eating, but if we're not eating in WDW or DLR are we really eating?

Of course I torture myself with all the yumminess on the various Dining Reports...Sounds like you should do a live dining report when you go, or at least sign up for the one in the DR that a lot of people do while there.

Hope you're enjoying school and brightening everyone's day the way you do your readers, lurkers etc on your reports!

Oh my gosh, you're making me so hungry. I need me some iced sugar cookies now lol AND PIN TRADING! YEEEESSS!!!

Exactly. And fact is Starbucks is now wicked popular in WDW. Umm, what?

Eck, why why WHY? Leave the Butterbeer to the professionals please.

True that, but I really want to try my best TO EAT. I think I'll need the energy this time around.

Hmmm, I'd rather not. I was already thinking that I most likely will be doing some crazy late night instagram posts so there's no way I could do a live Dining Report. But one when I get back YES

Awww, thanks! I kinda hit a big rough spot, but I think I'm pulling things back together... Hopefully.

Hey Timmy! Your food choices are FABULOUS. Yes. So fab. Especially School Bread and the Red Velvet Cheesecake cupcake and the Dole Whip and LeFou's Brew and EVERYTHING ELSE OKAY IT'S ALL PERFECT.

I also approve of your character list! I hope your next meet with the Boss is stellar!

P.S. I really enjoyed your March photo challenge on Instagram (I'm @lostprincess04)! It was a lot of fun! Unfortunately, I'm only taking on one photo challenge this month because of time constraints, but I hope you have one coming in May!

Thank you! I was really hoping that it would be a list EVERYONE can agree upon, considering I'm dragging another victim eh person into this.

Awesome! I hope it will too.

Thank you so much and hi! I saw on your IG that this was your DIS username. I plan to have the #DisNerdPhotoEscapade running until at least June. I might take a break after that. May is my birthday month so I might have some special surprises for the challenge... we'll see.

 

[Tink2Day]

Is the trip still on Timmy?
Haven't seen any updates and it must be getting to less than a couple of months?
I'm curious to know if you've done any fast pass ressies and what you think of it?
Meanwhile, I'm lurking in other trip reports and drooling in the dining reports.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Hello my lovely readers!

I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile. It's been quite busy and with the end of my Senior year (and high school) coming VERY fast, I really need to focus my time on school work. I have a lot I REALLY want to tell you guys just so little time. I hate to leave you hanging, but I think a much lengthier post would suffice more for what I have to tell you. Yeah, there's A LOT. In terms of the trip, I have paid off my half of the trip and now I'm waiting for my friend to finish paying off his half. Once that is done, well... money really is no longer an issue any longer and I'll be leaving for Disney before I know it. First, I have graduation, AP exams, Senior Project, etc. to worry about unfortunately.

Thank you to all who have stuck around. I know this has not been as consistent as I originally told you it would so I appreciate it a lot people still are interested in hearing about what else I have got to say about this trip.

And to you all, have a magical day! ​

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[Tink2Day]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIMMY

Remembered from your Birthday PTR and hope I have the right date!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIMMY

Remembered from your Birthday PTR and hope I have the right date!

I totally forgot to answer this one. Thank you so much, Tink! Yes, you had the right date.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Tale As Old As Time (Part I)

HELLO DISBOARDS!!!

How y'all doing? It's been awhile. Like three months awhile. CRAZINESS!!! Well, things are starting to simmer down. I'm going to be graduating in a little less than two weeks and then a little over a week after that I'm going to DISNEY!!! It's all going by much too fast, but I know that once I graduate those final ten days will be TORTURE. Chances are I'm going to be posting an update per day just to distract myself. Be ready!

But before that passes us by I thought I would update y'all on what has happened because A LOT has happened since I last updated. To give you an idea, here is a list:

College Rejections
College Acceptance
Accepted Students Day
College Commitment
Easter
Once Upon A Mattress (My Final High School Show)
New Merch
PROM
MAH BIRTHDAY
Mother's Day
AP Exams
Memorial Day Weekend in the Cape
Fastpass+ Selections
Surprises from Disney
Anything Goes Auditions
Flight Confirmations
Arrival of Disney Travel Items

And I hope I didn't forget anything. But seriously, I was busy. I still am, but I'm much more on track with things now than when all of that happened. This will probably be my last update (well, super update) before graduation day roles around since I do have final projects and exams to still worry about, but with a lot more time on hands for the moment I had to at least update you on some things. First, I'm going to go with the real-life stuff. I will try to go in chronological order as best I can so here we go with the tale as old as time: THE REAL LIFE UPDATES!

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES/REJECTIONS/VISITS/DECISION

If you follow me on IG or Twitter you probably know how most of this went down. A recap, I applied to eight schools and got accepted into four thus far (when I last updated), which were UConn, University of Vermont, Drexel and Ithaca. I still was waiting to hear back from Skidmore, Penn, Northeastern and NYU, which were all reach schools for me. Well, I got my first rejections on the same day from Penn and NYU. Yup, no NYC school for me. Although they were pretty big reach schools and I knew I probably wouldn't get in, I was a bit bummed out. Soon after the rejections, I did get accepted into Skidmore! Being accepted at Skidmore was a huge shock to me, but a very pleasant one. Then, also within a day I found out I didn't get into Northeastern, which I thought would've been the reach I'd gotten into, but I guess Skidz took that spot. By the end, as I predicted, I was accepted into five out of the eight schools applied to, which were:

University of Vermont (UVM)
Ithaca College
University of Connecticut (UConn)
Drexel University
Skidmore College

And here is the acceptance letter from Skidmore:



Now, it was time for Accepted Students Days and which ones I would go to. I almost immediately eliminated Drexel and Ithaca, as they were both VERY safe safety schools I'd only go to in worse case scenario. All I had left were UVM, UConn and Skidmore, which only one of the three I had visited before, but I decided I would go to all three for their accepted students days.

I first went to UVM, the only one I had been to before...



...and I didn't like it this time around. The turn off might have been the fact it was my first college visit and didn't know what to expect, but the school atmosphere felt overwhelming. I liked the idea of going to a big school, but it felt so congested. I would have enjoyed being able to walk to Church Street during days I didn't have class (my dad (who came with me to each college visit) and I had a FANTASTIC lunch at one place that day), but I knew after that day UVM was not for me.

It was down to UConn and Skidmore.

UConn I went to right after UVM and my sister decided she would tag along (the visit I scheduled happened right after the women's and men's basketball teams became NCAA champs!)...







By far the best visit I have had to a school! It was crazy and there was a lot of people, but the energy was great. It didn't feel congested and I loved it all! Not to mention, having the Champion basketball teams come out during the opening remarks was at an UNMATCHED LEVEL OF AWESOME plus! I was almost prepared to commit, but I still wanted to check out Skidmore. But I knew Skidmore College had its work cut out convincing me.

Fast forward, a week later, right before Spring break, my dad and I took a trip up to Saratoga Springs, NY for a visit at Skidmore...


I'm sorry, I tried to get a close picture, but that's a little Skidmore sign right there.

A MUCH smaller and quieter school than the previous two I visited, I thoroughly enjoyed the place. It was a very artsy school and I'm a very artsy person so it all clicked for me. We also listened to a sample lecture from one of the professors and it was one of the biggest highlights of my visit. It kind of brought me back to WHY I wanted to go to college, not just for having fun and getting to experience what it's like to be independent, but to form a career path for myself. And after dealing with many awful teachers and classes these past few years, I wanted to go to a school where I would enjoy learning and actually learn something! In that regard, Skidmore shot straight to the top, but also the campus was very modern, the dorms were big, the dining hall was unbelievable, it had a lot going for it.

Unfortunately, this made the decision very hard and rough. Lemme tell ya, it was a ROUGH vacation! I could not decide for the life of me and coupled with some other stuff that came around at that time, I hit rock bottom, the lowest of lows for the year. All the bad hit me at once and I did not react too well. I'm far away from this now, but it took awhile.

In the end, after a long and painful deliberation, I commited to...

SKIDMORE COLLEGE!



Although, my decision initially didn't feel right I am very excited to be part of the Skidmore Class of 2018! I found out only yesterday that I'll be in a seminar on American Political Theater for my first semester, which I'm super psyched about since it was my first choice for the required seminar everyone has to take Freshman year. Then, in joining the Skidmore Facebook group for my class I've had the pleasure of meeting some awesome people who share a lot of similar interests to mine (MANY potential roommates ). I've even begun to plan a trip with a group of my future classmates to a nearby professional theater to see the Newsies tour. On Monday, I finally will be able to fill out the Roommate Questionnaire and maybe sign up for Pre-Orientation. The excitement I have right now for life and just... EVERYTHING! It's unfathomable.

And a nice reminder that when you've hit rock bottom, the only place to go from there is up.

EASTER

This happened around the time I was making college decisions so I wasn't in a great place, but it was a fairly nice Easter. I received a lovely Benedictine bracelet from my mom, which is supposed to protect you from evil and help you do good. I love the meaning behind it and I wear it all the time.



And an Olaf poster too! (That I can't seem to find a pic of.)

Anyways...

Happy VERY late Easter everyone!

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

Another highlight to an otherwise not-so-great year was my last musical/play at my high school and we did Once Upon A Mattress! Although not my first choice (I was hoping to do Legally Blonde) and even if I didn't get a big role, I had an amazing time with this cast! By far the best cast I have worked with, I feel I could call each and every one of them friends. To say the least, performance weekend and our last show were quite emotional. Being the perfectionist I am and with how our directors gifts thing went as well as our cast part, I was even more upset than usual. I still miss it all so much and am going to miss the SHS Theater Club more than anything from my high school career! I feel so blessed that even through the ups and downs, I still had my fellow theater pals. With that, here's a recap of my theater club stint and a photo of the seniors in Mattress (just because) :





SHS Theater Club Credits--

The Diary of Anne Frank - Stage Crew (Fall Play 2010)
Fiddler on the Roof - Mendel, the Rabbi's Son (Spring Musical 2011)
Three One Act Plays - Stage Crew (Fall Play 2011)
Anything Goes - The Ship's Purser (Spring Musical 2012)
12 Angry Jurors - Stage Crew (Fall Play 2012)
Grease - Eugene Florczyk (Spring Musical 2013)
Our Town - Doc Gibbs (Fall Play 2013)
Once Upon A Mattress - Sir Luce (Spring Musical 2014)

"Don't be sad that it's over, be glad that it happened." -Unknown (I think Dr. Seuss)

MY BIRTHDAY

I unfortunately didn't get to make a post about this (and didn't even get to respond to the one Birthday wish I did receive on here. Thanks again, Tink2Day!), but my 18th birthday was on May 9th, almost a month ago now! And it was a fabulous birthday, a big step-up from the one I had last year.

While it didn't start out great (my best friend forgot my birthday throughout our first class together (Okay, it wasn't that bad, but she would've gotten mad at me if I forgot HER birthday)), it was all made up for in the end. I had a lovely day at school and then got to go see A Chorus Line with my family that night! It was AMAZING, one of my new favorite shows! My friend also put down the last payment, we had for our trip so the Disney trip became OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL ON MY BIRTHDAY! Yes, it was quite the birthday. Some photos for good measure...





I also received some birthday gifts from my Aunt and Uncle this past weekend in Cape Cod (after making up all my late work, WOOT WOOT!).

From my Aunt (My Godmother)...



I'll show you the gift from my Uncle later.

I won't go into too much detail about our weekend in Cape Cod, but it was nice and relaxing. Just what I needed. And I got to try Oysters!



PROM

The day after my birthday was PROM! And not just prom, we also got a special visit and concert from ALEX PRESTON! For those of you who don't know who Alex Preston is, he was a contestant on American Idol this season and made it to the top three. Get this: HE WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH ME! Yup, Alex Preston was a senior when I was a freshman. Didn't really know him, but it's so cool how someone from where I live "made it big time!" Oh, and get this too: My sister's vocal coach is his vocal coach! Crazy.

Anyways, because he made it to the top three, he got to come back to his hometown for a visit, which included a concert at my high school (that they actually removed from what they showed of his visit on American Idol, but don't even get me started on that). I was right up close and while I didn't get any good film or photos of him I got the gist of what I was squashed into and the stage he performed on. Check it out:





Now, to prom! Prom was so much fun this year! I had a great time. Although it was very stressful, especially with my close friend (my date to prom), who wore a dress that wasn't the one I matched my tux to... at all, I had a great time. I'm not sure if it were better, worse or the same as my last prom since the way things happened before prom, on the way there and after, I couldn't judge it accurately. All I can say it was an amazing night with an amazing group of people. The Prom photo shoot we had was awesome! Here are some of my faves from that:


Junior Prom to Senior Prom with my bestie!





Alex Preston showed up to our prom to sing one song for us! It was pretty cool and I got a great video of the whole thing, but I haven't uploaded it to YouTube yet so you'll have to take my word for it and be patient.

EVERYTHING AFTER PROM

A lot of mini-events went on after prom. I had Senior Project week, which is the final credit you need to past high school (and I did). It was a great week and allowed me to catch up. This is what preceded Memorial Day weekend down at the Cape. In the midst of all that presentation action (Senior Projects are year long projects that culminate in a week of presentations), I got to audition for an alumni production of Anything Goes at the local Boys and Girls Club. As I mentioned above, I've done Anything Goes before, but I really wanted to do one last show before I went off to college (Skidmore doesn't really do musicals) so I auditioned and got a role! I wasn't cast as the Ship's Purser this time, but in the character of John, a Chinese convert who once had a drinking problem. Really excited for that, even if I have to coincide my work schedule with the rehearsal schedule for the summer.

This leads me to this past week, where everything was put back in order and I'm a big bundle of joy right now. We had the Music Department Banquet this week at my school and I received for the third time the honor of Outstanding Chorus Student (out of the very few Seniors in Choir). It felt so good to walk out with that for the last time. And I was so proud of my friend, who won it with me every year we were in chorus together, ended up being awarded the National Choral Award instead! She's going to be a music major and is a super talented singer and musician. She'll go far, I know it!

Here's a photo of the medal I received along with the ones I received for Outstanding Chorus Student of my Freshman Year and Junior Year:



Now, we've arrived at this weekend where I received some fabulous mail regarding what else, but the Disney trip I've been planning for almost an entire year!

Stick around and read the next post to hear all about that!

Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



More Planning​

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[PlutosRHM55]

Tale As Old As Time (Part II)

Along with all the crazy stuff going on in my life, I also was receiving things from Disney left and right as well as reaching certain checkpoints and dates where certain things were due or could be done. I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing about this more, the second part of the 'tale as old as time'...

FASTPASS+

The date arrived for when I was able to start booking some FP+. It was actually perfect timing because it happened right as Anna & Elsa were moving to Princess Fairytale Hall and the Mine Train was opened for Cast Member soft openings. Needless to say, I got on both of those along with many others. Here is a list for good measure in chronological order of my trip dates:

Arrival Day- June 23rd, 2014



Day 2- June 24th, 2014



Day 3- June 25th, 2014

Universal Day, no FP+.

Day 4- June 26th, 2014



Day 5- June 27th, 2014



Departure Day- June 28th, 2014



After this, I received a package with all our DME vouchers. That was very exciting, even though it was another reminder that I hadn't confirmed our flights with Disney yet, which I have since.


Sorry it's upside down. Flickr won't let me fix it for some reason.

Now, we go back to two days ago and I got the package I'd been waiting for. The one everyone talks about and waits their whole life for (okay, not really)! The package! THE PACKAGE! THE PACKAGE WITH...

MAGIC BANDS!!!!!!!!



It was quite the momentous occasion when I found this in my mailbox! My sister actually took a video of the whole thing on her iPad and sent it to my mom. I also ordered some traders that I got from using the money my uncle gave me for my birthday.



I took two of those out to give to my Senior Project mentor as a thank you gift. She's a huge Disney freak!

And that ends all the Disney stuff I received. Oh wait, there were these too...





Yup, that's it in terms of Disney mail!

I also got a special surprise from Disney for my trip...



I was genuinely surprised about this one. I had no idea they were still doing this. I mean, I'm already going for dinner, but I wanted to try lunch and this makes it so much less of a hassle with how much I want to get done. I'm hoping to make our orders and other things tonight when I skype call Nate.

Only thing left to do is online check-in and I have some questions about that since it's the first time I'm doing it. For the estimated times of arrival and departure, should I overestimate or underestimate? Does it even matter? I seriously am not sure of when my flights will arrive or a good idea of how long those Magical Express drives are, but I REALLY would prefer to do online check-in so please HELP! Thank you so much.

To conclude another monster update courtesy of Timmy, I will let you know I'm not as I was when I told you I wouldn't be updating for awhile and I was in a rough position with school work. Everything is pretty stable. Hopefully my grades have been bumped up significantly after turning in all missing work. I've been very good about contacting my teachers when it comes to all of this so if anything, I'm sure I could figure out ways to make sure I'm an honors student once more. I'm feeling optimistic so hopefully my instincts are right on it.

Hope you all are doing well! For those whose TRs or PTRs, I'm hoping to catch up on those soon enough!

And before I go, I have to announce a very sad farewell to Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade, which closed yesterday without a replacement. Never got to see it, never will. Just sitting here, watching videos of it on YouTube and jammin' in the jungle to the rhythm of one to the rhythm of one...

Sorry, that was depressing. Here's a clown to change the mood. YAY!

Until next time, have a magical day! 22 DAYS!!!


Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



More Planning​

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[Tink2Day]

Gadzooks, so much to catch up on!!

Very exciting times lie ahead for you!
Saratoga Springs is a beautiful town, I have a dear friend who trains racehorses there every summer and another who grew up in a nearby town. It seems like a good fit for you (from what I've learned about you from your reports)

I did see your pins, wonderful for trading and/or keeping!

Your FP+ schedule looks awesome!! I'm interested to hear how it works out.
I am always amazed at the line/wait times for Peter Pan's Flight

Congratulations on your graduation and all of your accomplishments to date (never forget the cheerleaders..) You seem to be a very special young man, much like my grandson.


I just hit the high spots of your report but will be back to catch up on all of it soon. (I've been lax with reading my favorite dining reports too)

 

[Jazzabelle508]

Sounds like you've had a eventful few months. College decisions can be so rough so i know how that must have been for you to decide between two schools. Having gone to a small school myself I LOVE that enviroment and if you value a strong community (which it sounds based on these updates that you do) then a small school is perfect for you. There are many great things about the small school enviroment though.

THATS SO COOL about your prom concert!!!!!! I love small world type connections. Do you remember seeing him at all during your first year of high school? The winner of season 9 (lee dewyze) went to my high school and grew up in the same town i grew up in (he lived a few blocks away) and my brother knew him pretty well. The hometown visit was a huge deal and basically there was no point to doing anything not related to lee's visit the day american idol came to our town. The excitement level must have been VERY high in your town that day. Haley reinhart from the next season was also from the same area of the country as I was but I was away at school during her visit so I don't remember much about it but i know there was a lot of excitement then 2. I had mutual friends with her so most of what i knew about that came from them. I watched idol this year so i am familiar with who alex is as well. LOVED his version of say something.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Wow, your trip is really coming up soon! Are you freaking out with excitement?!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Gadzooks, so much to catch up on!!

Very exciting times lie ahead for you!
Saratoga Springs is a beautiful town, I have a dear friend who trains racehorses there every summer and another who grew up in a nearby town. It seems like a good fit for you (from what I've learned about you from your reports)

It is! I've been there twice and it is such a beautiful town. I have friends whose family owns racehorses so they are there all the time too, which is actually quite convenient if I needed to go home unexpectedly. It really is starting to feel like the perfect fit for me.

I did see your pins, wonderful for trading and/or keeping!

Your FP+ schedule looks awesome!! I'm interested to hear how it works out.
I am always amazed at the line/wait times for Peter Pan's Flight

Definitely! Trading was the purpose so I'm really glad that a lot of them I could totally do with out lol

Thanks! Peter Pan's Flight was at the top of my list to get an FP for after my last experience with the standby for that. Never. Again.

Congratulations on your graduation and all of your accomplishments to date (never forget the cheerleaders..) You seem to be a very special young man, much like my grandson.


I just hit the high spots of your report but will be back to catch up on all of it soon. (I've been lax with reading my favorite dining reports too)

Thank you! Almost at the one week mark and I'm starting to get really anxious now. But I still have SOOOO much to do.

Sounds like you've had a eventful few months. College decisions can be so rough so i know how that must have been for you to decide between two schools. Having gone to a small school myself I LOVE that enviroment and if you value a strong community (which it sounds based on these updates that you do) then a small school is perfect for you. There are many great things about the small school enviroment though.

They are rough. I wish I had only gotten into one school just to make the decision easier. My high school is very tiny (my graduating class is just over 200 kids) so I think a small school really is the best fit. I liked the idea of a big school, but I think I would miss not knowing at least most every person in my class. Looking forward to at least maintaining that now!

THATS SO COOL about your prom concert!!!!!! I love small world type connections. Do you remember seeing him at all during your first year of high school? The winner of season 9 (lee dewyze) went to my high school and grew up in the same town i grew up in (he lived a few blocks away) and my brother knew him pretty well. The hometown visit was a huge deal and basically there was no point to doing anything not related to lee's visit the day american idol came to our town. The excitement level must have been VERY high in your town that day. Haley reinhart from the next season was also from the same area of the country as I was but I was away at school during her visit so I don't remember much about it but i know there was a lot of excitement then 2. I had mutual friends with her so most of what i knew about that came from them. I watched idol this year so i am familiar with who alex is as well. LOVED his version of say something.

It was! I need to get that video up ASAP because it was the best thing ever. He only sang his original song, 'Fairytales', which was what he sang during auditions. And to think they never showed it on AI, so disappointing. They really screwed up Alex's hometown visit montage video. They cut out all the best parts. Ugh. And yes, I do remember seeing him. He was a band geek and his own rock band performed for us many times. I just never talked with him.

I remember you telling me this before. Lee was one of the last Idol winners I really liked. LOVED Hailey too, she should've won! But yeah, it was pretty hyped up. His hometown was actually a much smaller neighboring town to mine, but the kids who lived there joined the kids in my town during 7th grade up through senior year so the excitement was pretty widespread. And he also had a sold-out stadium concert at his college so it was insane, really big day for the whole STATE!

Oh you did! I didn't watch it as religiously as I used to (AI has gone downhill for me). I liked Alex, but I was always very critical of what he did to songs (What he did to Falling Slowly still bothers me), but he SOOO should've won. Or at least Jena. I DID NOT want Caleb to win WHATSOEVER.

Wow, your trip is really coming up soon! Are you freaking out with excitement?!

Three-years-of-waiting freaking out, yeah! I'll probably end up exploding on the Magical Express motorcoach.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hey Timmy! I'm finally caught up and just in time to congratulate you on a few things.

Going back several updates....
Your snack list certainly caught my eye. That carrot cake cookie is also sold at Sweet Spells on Sunset Blvd. near Starting Rolls. One of my favorite snacks at WDW is that little beauty.

I was actually just leaving Disney on your birthday. Happy belated birthday!!

Congrats on your Skidmore college decision!!! I know that must have been a hard decision but it sounds like it was the perfect one for you. I travel to CT at least once a year so I'm familiar with UConn.

Awww nice prom photos! I didn't even notice the dress didn't fit the tux since you were both so good looking.

And another congratulations - for your chorus honors!!!

As for your exciting Disney plans.... Very nice fp+/dining line up. Via Napoli is awesome! Your arrival day sounds epic with SDMT AND BoG dinner followed by the LM Under the Sea.

How exciting to be in the final stretch of your trip countdown.

Is your graduation this week? Whenever it is, I wish you all the best and Congrats!
online check in estimate probably wont' matter much since they'll aready have your stuff printed but I'd guess about 1.5 hours after your fliht lands should be good

 

[Tink2Day]

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GRADUATION TIMMY!!

My grandson read on Twitter that today is THE DAY. He started summer school yesterday, wants to pick up a few extra credits. He graduates next year.

Just think in 10 days you'll be home again! Hope you have a wonderful time

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Hey Timmy! I'm finally caught up and just in time to congratulate you on a few things.

Going back several updates....
Your snack list certainly caught my eye. That carrot cake cookie is also sold at Sweet Spells on Sunset Blvd. near Starting Rolls. One of my favorite snacks at WDW is that little beauty.

Hi Brenda! YAY! Awesome!

Oh I didn't know that! Cool, I'm so excited to try it in 8 DAYS!!!

I was actually just leaving Disney on your birthday. Happy belated birthday!!

I saw that! Thank you Brenda

Congrats on your Skidmore college decision!!! I know that must have been a hard decision but it sounds like it was the perfect one for you. I travel to CT at least once a year so I'm familiar with UConn.

Thank you! It really was. I struggled with it for awhile, but after getting to know quite a few people from the school I am very excited.

Awww nice prom photos! I didn't even notice the dress didn't fit the tux since you were both so good looking.

Aww shucks, thanks again!

And another congratulations - for your chorus honors!!!

As for your exciting Disney plans.... Very nice fp+/dining line up. Via Napoli is awesome! Your arrival day sounds epic with SDMT AND BoG dinner followed by the LM Under the Sea.

Thank you so much! You're so sweet for congratulating me on every single thing I've posted about lol

I'm so happy with it all. I'm still annoyed by the fact I can only have 3 a day and I have to book it in advanced. I miss paper FPs so much But that first day, yeah, that was pure luck right there, pure luck!

Is your graduation this week? Whenever it is, I wish you all the best and Congrats!
online check in estimate probably wont' matter much since they'll aready have your stuff printed but I'd guess about 1.5 hours after your fliht lands should be good

Thank you! It was this past Friday, which was two days ago.

Alrighty! I'll go with your suggestion then. Thanks!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GRADUATION TIMMY!!

My grandson read on Twitter that today is THE DAY. He started summer school yesterday, wants to pick up a few extra credits. He graduates next year.

Just think in 10 days you'll be home again! Hope you have a wonderful time

Thank you Tink!

Cool! Good luck to him on his senior year!

I know! It's insane. But these next (now) eight days are going to be the longest ever. Good thing I still have a lot to do before I leave and a lot of updates to post. Get ready!

 

[Tink2Day]

Hi Brenda! YAY! Awesome!

Oh I didn't know that! Cool, I'm so excited to try it in 8 DAYS!!!



I saw that! Thank you Brenda



Thank you! It really was. I struggled with it for awhile, but after getting to know quite a few people from the school I am very excited.



Aww shucks, thanks again!



Thank you so much! You're so sweet for congratulating me on every single thing I've posted about lol

I'm so happy with it all. I'm still annoyed by the fact I can only have 3 a day and I have to book it in advanced. I miss paper FPs so much But that first day, yeah, that was pure luck right there, pure luck!



Thank you! It was this past Friday, which was two days ago.

Alrighty! I'll go with your suggestion then. Thanks!



Thank you Tink!

Cool! Good luck to him on his senior year!

I know! It's insane. But these next (now) eight days are going to be the longest ever. Good thing I still have a lot to do before I leave and a lot of updates to post. Get ready!

I'll be watching So excited for you, I guess since I may not get to go again this year I'll live the trip vicariously.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I'll be watching So excited for you, I guess since I may not get to go again this year I'll live the trip vicariously.

:thumsbup2 Well, I hope you'll enjoy following along then!

 

[Tink2Day]

My grandsons said they saw on your Twitter that you're getting very 'anxious' for Diagon Alley to open.
The second oldest (a Rupert Grint doppelgänger, seriously, looks exactly like Rupert in year 3 when he was same age as my GS) said to tell you that the live webcasts (starting with the red carpet arrival of the stars of HP) begins on Wednesday and has a different view through Friday. I've heard it opens 6/21.**** GRAND OPENING JULY 8. But packages through Universal Hotels for Diagon Alley begin on 6/29. The newsletter we get said they may or may not have a soft opening. Oh well at least you can still see WWOHP. It was iffy whether DA would open when you were there.

I think the lines would have been so prohibitive that you wouldn't have enjoyed it. I think the wait times when WWOHP opened were 5 hours for FJ (they may even resort to the fastpass into the lands themselves as they did when it first opened WWOHP). But good luck!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

My grandsons said they saw on your Twitter that you're getting very 'anxious' for Diagon Alley to open.
The second oldest (a Rupert Grint doppelgänger, seriously, looks exactly like Rupert in year 3 when he was same age as my GS) said to tell you that the live webcasts (starting with the red carpet arrival of the stars of HP) begins on Wednesday and has a different view through Friday. I've heard it opens 6/21.**** GRAND OPENING JULY 8. But packages through Universal Hotels for Diagon Alley begin on 6/29. The newsletter we get said they may or may not have a soft opening. Oh well at least you can still see WWOHP. It was iffy whether DA would open when you were there.

I think the lines would have been so prohibitive that you wouldn't have enjoyed it. I think the wait times when WWOHP opened were 5 hours for FJ (they may even resort to the fastpass into the lands themselves as they did when it first opened WWOHP). But good luck!

Yeah, thinking about it, it might have been a blessing in disguise. I'm going to Universal to see it as a whole park, not just WWOHP. It still would be nice to have a soft opening since they are usually more discreet about those, I'll just hope for that now.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

When Dreams Come True... (Part I)

Hello everyone!

I didn't mean to hold off this long, but I'M LEAVING FOR DISNEY WORLD IN FOUR DAYS!

I cannot believe it. Usually this is the time when I'm literally tossing and turning and days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and months turn into years and it's an eternity until I'm finally back in my happy place. But no, this past week has gone by insanely fast and... GAAAAHHH I'M GOING BACK TO DISNEY ON MONDAY! ASDJHBOHBVYADFVATRGAVAE

Since I know you're all probably curious about my last week of school, I actually did make it out of Senior year alive. I took all my finals and managed to get by the two classes I was struggling with with B-'s. Not exactly how I originally planned on my Senior year ending, but it was a rough year and a B- is the best I could ever hope for.

After that, it was finally time for me to enjoy my Senior Year! Seriously. The last two days before graduation were my class trip to go whitewater rafting and lemme tell ya, it was a blast! An overnight stay in a cabin than whitewater rafting the next day, I thought it would be a total bust, but whitewater rafting literally was an all day thing and I'm so glad I jumped at the chance to do it. It was so much fun and I highly recommend for those hesitant about trying it out, DO IT! I unfortunately don't have any of the actual experience (I have many from the day before, but you probably wouldn't want to see that), but you'll have to take my word for it that it was laughter and smiles the whole way down the river.

Oh and I also was interviewed by the guy who takes videos of the rafting trips and I talked about how I was going to Disney. And yes, this was shown to the larger portion of the class of 2014 on the trip. I blushed.

After that, graduation day finally came and lemme tell ya, it was one crazy whirlwind of a day! First graduation practice in the morning then the actual graduation and then Project Graduation. I actually might have been up a full 24 hours thanks to the ungodly hours we were forced to remain awake 'till because of Project Graduation. But it really was a great way to end my high school career and I honestly wished it had lasted forever.

Here are some photos to try on for size of that last day as a high school student:


Post-Graduation! Do you like my hat?






On the bus, heading to Project Graduation

Sooooooooo... yeah. Days go by, meetings for work, procrastinating, living... and now here we are THREE DAYS AWAY FROM RETURNING TO THE WORLD! Unfortunately, not much has changed with the trip. The only one to note is now Nate and I are now heading back on two different flights. This is only a minor change, but I guess it unfortunately means that I now have to wallow in my Disney sorrows by myself. *sigh*

Aside from that, we're packing up and rearing to go! So I'm going to go through a quick run down of the trip.

DAY ONE - ARRIVAL

A very early morning for our flight out of Manchester at 6:20am, which will put us in Florida at 9:25am if all goes well *fingers crossed*. Once we land, we head on down with our carry-ons to the Magical Express! WOOT WOOT!

http://www.****************/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Magical-Express.jpg
Photo Credit: ****************

From there we board a motorcoach bound for none other than the ART OF ANIMATION RESORT !

Photo Credit: Mouzekateerz

We check-in, check our bags (we'll most likely end up doing that since we arrive prior to three) and then head off to the Magic Kingdom, because why would you not. Along with a few FP+ reservations, we have to check out some faves like...

The Haunted Mansion

Photo credit: Flickr

Space Mountain

Photo credit: Theme Parks Buzz

Splash Mountain (we'll need the cooling off)

Photo credit: Wikipedia

And many many others. No TTA this trip though. Yeah, still crying.

After that, we have some Be Our Guest, Wishes, maybe fit in some Festival of Fantasy, you know the REALLY magical stuff. Then, we turn in, which is to say go to our room, but not sleep. Because... NO SLEEPING IN DISNEY!

And after a restless night, we arrive at...

DAY 2 - FIRST FULL DAY

I've always been one for the spontaneity so usually I plan my parks the night before and I've been very lucky with how that has worked out. For this day... who knows where we end up! But eventually, we will be heading back to Hollywood Studios for some good ole antics from the servers at 50s Prime Time Cafe. Then, maybe we'll hit some other faves like...

Tower of Terror

Photo credit: WDWInfo.com

Toy Story Mania

Photo credit: The Disney Blog

...and if I get myself together, Rockin' Roller Coaster!

Photo credit: Travels Worlds

Also, some major pin trading along the way...

Then, ever so slowly day two turns into...

DAY 3 - UNIVERSAL DAY

An early morning and breakfast for us so we can get in that taxi cab, Mears bus, whatever we decide to do to get on over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal Studios!

Photo credit: Theme Park University

There are A LOT of things I wish to do, but these are the ones that have definitely held my interest over time:

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Photo credit: Cheap Flights

Jurassic Park River Adventure

Photo credit: PlanMyOrlandoHoliday

E.T. the Ride

Photo credit: WhatCulture.com

I also got to try some of that beloved Butterbeer...

Photo credit: Google Images

After that, we head back to our resort and off to the Polynesian for some 'Ohana time Then sleep-but-not-sleep time leading into...

TO BE CONTINUED BELOW



More Planning​

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[PlutosRHM55]

When Dreams Come True... (Part II)

CONTINUING FROM LAST POST

DAY 4 - SECOND FULL DAY

Heading into the final three days of my trip, we meet another day of endless possibilities. I could do a four parks day here or three or two or one. Again, ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES! Eventually, I will have to make it over to EPCOT for a Via Napoli ADR along with many EPCOT must-dos like...

Test Track 2.0 (although I will be mourning the original the whole time most likely)

Photo credit: Google Images

Spaceship Earth

Photo credit: TicketMomma.com

Soarin'

Photo credit: gogobot.com

Then, finish off the night wherever and turn in (Nope, no falling asleep, nope nope).

DAY 5 - LAST FULL DAY

Our last full day, BUT before entering into the parks, we have to do a major rise and shine and get our butts on over to the Grand Floridian for our last ADR of the trip at 1900 Park Fare.

After that, wherever the day takes us. It would be nice to at least make it over to Animal Kingdom by now and check out all the new stuff going on down there. But of course, I have to go on...

Expedition Everest

Photo credit: Guide2WDW

Dinosaur

Photo credit: Wikipedia

It's Tough to Be A Bug

Photo credit: Disney Pal

After getting all of that and whatever else I decide to do, out of the way, it's time for a night of packing up to head out the following day... sadly.

DAY 6 - DEPARTURE DAY

The final day where we have to get up early, pack up, check out and then salvage what time we have left before our not-so-Magical Express bus picks us up and takes us back to the airport.

This might end up being our time to do some shopping at Downtown Disney, you know check out the brand new Marketplace Co-op...

Photo credit: **************.net

or some ole' faithfuls like World of Disney...

Photo credit: Meg's Mouse Tales

We also have to make sure we have done some DISMeeting, character M&Gs, eaten Dole Whips, Schoolbread, etc. But yeah, that would be something to make sure happens throughout the whole week.

After that, it's time to head back to AoA before departing aboard our motorcoach that will drop us off at the airport to take us home. I will most likely begin my TR as soon as I arrive back at my house or just cry myself to sleep.

And voila! There's our trip! I'm sorry it isn't exactly planned out very well, but I feel very comfortable with how it will all go. Crossing my fingers nothing goes awry.

I have one more update to go before I finalize this PTR, just a little goodbye and some things I would like to leave off with. Again, thank you to those who are sticking around and still reading this after the craziness of this year! I hope you'll be there for what I can assure you will be a fabulous TR!

Have a magical day, y'all!

Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



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