It's Happening One Way Or The Other! - Oct 2016 PTR - Updated 10/11 - Single Digit Dance

[IowaTater]

Love your updates! I need to do that as well. List out all,the must do's. I really want the DF to sit and do that too but I may have to wait till closer to the trip to get his. I'm trying not to overtalk him on the trip since he doesnt get the whole Disney love thing yet. I'm so sad we will miss each other by only a few days!

I've discovered that if we don't list our must-dos, we try to do too much and overextend ourselves. We still get really close to that point but we also try to plan a non-park day as a breather. DH gets excited about WDW but he could kind of care less about the details so I try not to talk too much about it as well.

I just wanted to drop in and wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

DF has never been, so to him it's all either jabbering or too much haha!

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!!!

 

[MrsSkellington]

Ah! I just found this and am sorry I'm late because:

A) Weird Al!!!! I've seen him 3 times. Love him!
B) NKOTB cartoon! I knew that one. I'm just a month or so late to answer.

I like your idea of listing out the things you must do. We went this year for the first time as a family of 3 and I know there are things we missed and things we can skip next year.

 

[Pookles]

I've been enjoying your thread and just had to say that I love the fact that you counted the Doctor as a superhero at DH's birthday! I get to watch the Christmas episode at the theater on my birthday, so excited!

I like the lists too. I've been making them as well but have everything broken into categories like rides, food, shows and shops. I should be putting them together!

 

[IowaTater]

Hey everyone! I'm still alive...Just super busy with work, holidays, sickness (both me and my furbaby), real life. You all know how it is

Still nothing new on the trip progress except that on Christmas Eve, we will officially be 300 days away from our Happy Place! Oh, and also I have finally jumped into the present era and gotten my first smart phone. Oh Mylanta, you guys, this thing is going to get me in so much trouble! I had no idea all the apps you could get, especially for WDW. I already have 4 downloaded. What are some of your "must-have" WDW apps? They can either be planning apps or music or games....whatever!!

I have done some more shopping for our trip. I have 3 shirt designs bought (one of my trip craft projects) and I have another shirt on order that showed it shipped today. I also went to my local fiveBelow store and got some cute things.



I also got in a couple of new hair bows to go with my outfits. One a Lilo theme and one an UP theme.



That's all I really have for an update but I also wanted to wish you all....



I promise after the first of the year, I will have more proper updates for you all. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas (or a very happy whatever holiday you celebrate)!! With that, I leave you with this final picture of my very irritated kitty. He is definitely NOT in the Christmas spirit.

 

[Elevationist]

Hey everyone! I'm still alive...Just super busy with work, holidays, sickness (both me and my furbaby), real life. You all know how it is

I absolutely know how that is!

Still nothing new on the trip progress except that on Christmas Eve, we will officially be 300 days away from our Happy Place!

Today is 300 days for me! This is super exciting stuff!

With that, I leave you with this final picture of my very irritated kitty. He is definitely NOT in the Christmas spirit.

Oh my goodness, that kitty. I'm dying over there. At least yours puts up with such shenanigans. If I tried that, mine would murderize me in my sleep!

 

[IowaTater]

Oh my goodness, that kitty. I'm dying over there. At least yours puts up with such shenanigans. If I tried that, mine would murderize me in my sleep!

He hates it when I do stuff like that. In order to get that picture, DH had to cradle him & hold all four of his paws together. As soon as we put him down on the floor, it was off and attacked. I'll have to see if I can find the picture from 2014. It's just as hilarious. Plus I figure since he just cost us $2000 in vet bills, his furry booty owes us a few laughs.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Mine was good, although it's not over yet. I still have to have Christmas with my family up in Iowa, which we're planning on doing the last weekend of this month. I promise I will post a more formal update tonight or tomorrow but I had a question for all of you.

When planning your trip based off of park hours from the previous year, how do you do it? Do you go based on dates (i.e. using December 12th, 2015 hours if you're going December 12th, 2016) or do you go based on the day of the week (i.e. using the 3rd Monday of December 2015 if December 12th, 2016 is a 3rd Monday)?

 

[Elevationist]

When planning your trip based off of park hours from the previous year, how do you do it? Do you go based on dates (i.e. using December 12th, 2015 hours if you're going December 12th, 2016) or do you go based on the day of the week (i.e. using the 3rd Monday of December 2015 if December 12th, 2016 is a 3rd Monday)?

I did it based on Day of Week for my December trip. When the real park hours came out for 2015, I didn't have to change a single thing! Everything was exactly as expected based on the previous year's hours. Hope that you have similar luck!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

I didn't see you had posted an update! I'm sorry for missing it! Love the bows!

I as well planning on days of the week like this year my Friday arrival is the 28th. But last year the 27th. I plan on that Friday forward not the numerical match. Especially since we are skipping ahead two days for leap year.

 

[IowaTater]

Hey all!!! So I don't have a HUGE update yet because DH and I have yet to sit down & discuss a daily plan. I'm hoping to go that when we go to see my family in Iowa for Christmas. That's happening at the end of the month so....

Oh, but before I do, here's that picture I promised of Oshie's Christmas outfit from 2014.



Still cracks me up every time I see it!!!

Since we don't have a daily plan in place, I've been working on getting all of supplies organized. I've compiled everything into 2 small plastic boxes. Luckily I still have a lot of stuff left over from our last trip. So far I have the following items:

2 pairs of sunglasses (because on the 5th day of our last trip, I lost my sunglasses on Maelstrom and suffered the rest of the trip)
A Frog Tog (because I don't do really well in extreme humidity)
2 portable power chargers
A small shammy cloth (for wet benches)
2 ponchos (because Florida)
lanyards for our trading pins
small notepad to journal in
small book of note cards for autographs
Sharpies of multiple colors

I also have most of my outfits planned out. I just have to buy 2 more hair bows and make 6 shirts (2 for DH and 4 for me).

Right before Christmas, I got a new Disney shirt in the mail. I had originally purchased it for the trip but decided to wear it New Year's Day for my cousin's Rose Bowl party.



Yesterday was also a good mail day for me. I got in my Amazon order and my Disney Store order for trip supplies. I got another new hair bow for one of my outfits (DH refused to do Disney themes for the whole trip).



Then I also got this cool new water bottle. You can unscrew it in the middle to add ice. I figured it will be perfect for saving those sodas I don't finish at restaurants.



And for the pièce de résistance, I got this little beauty from the Disney Store.



THE PURPLE MAGIC BAND!!!! I didn't really want to pay for it but I got a large Visa gift card from my boss for Christmas so I figured I wasn't really paying for it. He was. I've already linked it to MDE and it was super easy. I also tried it on because I was worried it wouldn't fit on my calf-sized wrist but it fits and still has some wiggle room. I have a couple of ideas on how to decorate it but I'm waiting to find out if we are going to MNSSHP for sure or not.

 

[Elevationist]

Oh, but before I do, here's that picture I promised of Oshie's Christmas outfit from 2014.

Bahahahahaa! That face!!!!!

A Frog Tog (because I don't do really well in extreme humidity)

It shouldn't be too bad in late October! I remember some years as a kid having to trick-or-treat with a jacket over my costume! (Being only 5 hours north of Orlando, our weather is only a few degrees cooler than theirs most days, and the humidity is comparable here as well.)

2 ponchos (because Florida)

Because Florida, indeed.

THE PURPLE MAGIC BAND!!!!

AHHHHHH!!!! You got the purple one!!!! Love it!!!

I didn't really want to pay for it but I got a large Visa gift card from my boss for Christmas so I figured I wasn't really paying for it. He was.

I also tried it on because I was worried it wouldn't fit on my calf-sized wrist but it fits and still has some wiggle room.

Bahhh, I had the very same worry about my first MagicBand! I was relieved to find that it fit comfortably. I'm on the last 2-3 holes though, so I'm not allowed to gain anymore weight!

I have a couple of ideas on how to decorate it but I'm waiting to find out if we are going to MNSSHP for sure or not.

Why would you cover that beautiful purple band up at all?! It's so lovely!

 

[huggybuff]

Hi there, joining in the fun!!!

I've been reading for awhile and have meant to say HI, but something always happens and I get distracted.

LOL at the pictures of Oshie. That cat looks miserable. In a hilarious way of course.

It looks like you have your planning under control so far and I like your lists of must-dos. Very important to have something like that to avoid the 'what do you want to do next?' scenario.

Too bad Pasta doesn't like many different types of foods. That probably limits your dining options a bit.

Very cute Minnie sweatshirt that you wore for the Rose Bowl! And your bows are adorable too!

 

[IowaTater]

Bahhh, I had the very same worry about my first MagicBand! I was relieved to find that it fit comfortably. I'm on the last 2-3 holes though, so I'm not allowed to gain anymore weight!

Yep that's where I'm at too. I love that WDW tries to make everything Pooh friendly, although I do have some suggestions for them if they should ever want my opinion.

Why would you cover that beautiful purple band up at all?! It's so lovely!

It is really pretty and purple is my favorite color. But I found a Haunted Mansion wallpaper cover that would do PERFECT with it. I don't know what to do. I do want to do something to personalize it a little bit.

Hi there, joining in the fun!!

I've been reading for awhile and have meant to say HI, but something always happens and I get distracted.

Thanks for joining in and de-lurking!

LOL at the pictures of Oshie. That cat looks miserable. In a hilarious way of course.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's plotting his revenge on a daily basis. But in all fairness, unless he's cuddling on my lap, he's getting into trouble so it's all fair game in my eyes.

oo bad Pasta doesn't like many different types of foods. That probably limits your dining options a bit.

It does limit it, unfortunately. He's gotten better and will at least try SOME new things but I've just learned to work around his pickiness.

Very cute Minnie sweatshirt that you wore for the Rose Bowl! And your bows are adorable too!

Thank you! On our last trip, we did coordinating shirts so I decided that this year, I wanted to jazz up my outfits a little bit more.

Speaking of DH's pickiness, we sat down and trimmed down our ADR wish list the other night. I'm pretty excited about it because we are only eating at 2 places we've eaten at before.

I don't know what day we will be booking these for yet but our list is as follows:

Be Our Guest (dinner)
Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner)
Crystal Palace (breakfast)
Ohana (breakfast)
Whispering Canyon (breakfast or dinner)
Raglan Road (lunch)
50's Prime Time
Mama Melrose (for the Fantasmic package)
Sci-Fi Dine Inn (lunch or dinner)
Tusker House (breakfast)

I'm pretty happy with the list except for 1) we have a LOT of breakfasts on that list and 2) there are 10 places listed and we only have 8 credits per person. What I think will probably happen will be saving Be Our Guest and Raglan Road for another trip (DH wasn't super excited about the menus there anyway). I think we may also switch Crystal Palace to lunch. I also know the list is very MK and HS heavy but that's because we'll probably be spending most of our time in those 2 parks, along with EPCOT (but that will be mainly F&W).

What do you all think? What are your opinions regarding Crystal Palace breakfast vs. lunch/dinner?

 

[IowaTater]

Hey everybody!!! Hopefully my absence hasn't made you all jump ship. There just hasn't been that much to report up until now. For some reason, I just really had a hard time making our park plans for this trip. But, I finally hammered them out last night so I thought I would post them. Of course, these are completely tentative and will change once park hours are released, ADRs & FPs are made, flights are booked, and new shows & attractions open. Basically what I'm saying is these plans aren't worth a hill of beans but here they are anyway.

October 19
Flight leaves St. Louis at 8 am
Arrives at MCO at 11 am
Take ME to ASMo
Early dinner ADR at 50's Prime Time
Head to MK for evening EMH ~ MSEP @ 9 pm, Wishes @ 10 pm, FP for Peter Pan, Space Mountain, meeting Anna & Elsa (or BTMRR if A&E are at Epcot by then)

October 20
Breakfast ADR at Ohana
Monorail to EPCOT (which has evening EMH) ~ FP for Soarin', Spaceship Earth, and The Seas
Food & Wine Festival
Pick A Pearl
Agent P game
Illuminations

October 21
Head to Animal Kingdom for morning EMH
Kilimanjaro Safari
Breakfast ADR at Tusker House
Wilderness Explorers
Bloody Mary @ Dawa Bar
FP for Expedition Everest, Disney Pals (more than like waste this one as I'm not even sure which characters they are), and River of Light (if it's open & has a FP option)

October 22
Bus to Hollywood Studios for morning EMH
FP for Toy Story, Star Tours, Frozen Sing Along
Lunch ADR at SciFi Dine Inn
Star Wars Dessert Party (if still offering)
Fantasmic at 9 pm
Go to MK for evening EMH (if we're not too tired)

October 23
Head back to AK to finish Wilderness Explorers & whatever rides we missed. If we are done with AK on the 21st, we will probably spend this morning resort hopping or shopping
Travel to HS between 1 & 2 pm
Dinner ADR at Mama Melrose or Minnie's Holiday Dine
FP for RNR, Tower of Terror and Voyage of LM (which will be a wasted one)

October 24
Pre-park opening breakfast ADR at Crystal Palace
FP for Mine Train, Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain
Festival of Fantasy parade at 3 pm

October 25
Bus to EPCOT for morning EMH
FP for Mission Space, Journey into Imagination, and the new Frozen ride (if open. If not, we'll pick a toss one)
Food & Wine Festival
Finish Agent P game, if not already done
Back to resort to change around 1-2 pm (if we wear costumes)
Dinner ADR at Liberty Tree at 4 pm
MNSSHP

October 26
Check out of ASMo
Breakfast ADR at Whispering Canyon
Shopping at Disney Springs
Meet ME at 3:30 pm
Flight leaves MCO at 7:30 pm
Arrives in STL at 9 pm

So there you have it, folks. The basic outline of our plans. I'll admit it looks like a pretty commando approach right now but we're pretty comfortable with that. Not only will it change about 20 times before we even get there, it will probably change 20 more times throughout the week. lol

I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions on the plans. Anything I've missed??

 

[Corrine 1973]

Hey.

I was just browsing through the PTR's and thought yours looked interesting so hear I am.

How is the Disney Savings Account working for you? I just started mine yesterday and already added 2 $25 gift cards to it. Not to much but at least it is a start. Did you have a problem with your TA using it? I was thinking of going with a TA for my 2017 trip but have only done things myself so not sure yet.

I am loving your plans so far. I am kind of like you. I make a list of must dos, things I would like to get to, and maybe if there is time. That way we do not get upset missing something we really wanted to do.

I love the cat pictures. What a cuttie you have there.

Congrats on the booked flight. You are really on a roll now. I have been to Disney once in September and got to go to MNSSHP so I am super jealous that you get to go. I guess I will just have to live vicariously though you.

 

[Pluto0809]

Finally had a few minutes today to come and catch up on your PTR. Loving all your plans! I really want to get back for Halloween again someday but Sept/Oct are hard months for me to get off of work.

 

[IowaTater]

Hey.

I was just browsing through the PTR's and thought yours looked interesting so hear I am.

How is the Disney Savings Account working for you? I just started mine yesterday and already added 2 $25 gift cards to it. Not to much but at least it is a start. Did you have a problem with your TA using it? I was thinking of going with a TA for my 2017 trip but have only done things myself so not sure yet.

I am loving your plans so far. I am kind of like you. I make a list of must dos, things I would like to get to, and maybe if there is time. That way we do not get upset missing something we really wanted to do.

I love the cat pictures. What a cuttie you have there.

Congrats on the booked flight. You are really on a roll now. I have been to Disney once in September and got to go to MNSSHP so I am super jealous that you get to go. I guess I will just have to live vicariously though you.

Crazy DIS isn't showing me all of my notifications so I missed this one. I'm so sorry!

and thanks for joining in!

I love our Disney Savings Account! So much so that DH and I have already decided that as soon as we pay off this trip, we're starting another one for our next trip in 2 years. It's just so easy to have it come out of my checking account every week. My TA didn't have any trouble at all using it. I like making the majority of the arrangements myself but I figured if free dining comes out or we need to transfer our reservation to a different resort, it would be easier to have a TA do it than myself.

Thanks for the input on our plans. Even with making a list, we still usually manage to miss a few things so I could only imagine what would happen if we didn't have a list at all!

Thanks for the compliment on our kitty. He's a handful most of the time but he's such a lovey, it's hard to stay mad at him.

We haven't booked our flights yet. They're still a little too high for my liking. Although, it's been very tempting to pull the trigger just so that it's one less thing I have to worry about.

Finally had a few minutes today to come and catch up on your PTR. Loving all your plans! I really want to get back for Halloween again someday but Sept/Oct are hard months for me to get off of work.

Thanks! That's a bummer We love going in the fall but then again, it's our favorite season. I'd actually like to plan a trip during Flower & Garden just once.

 

[DMGeurts]

Sorry - I am late... But I thought I better hop in before it gets too busy around here.

Your plans look great so far... I haven't even started - not really anyways. I know what we want to do and how many days I want to spend in parks - and where we need to eat (notice I didn't say *want*) - but I have no idea what days we want to do in which parks. The last couple of trips - Disney has changed park hours quite drastically at the last minute - so I am a bit afraid to get into too many details.

Love the purple MB... I may need to find a friend to pick up a MB for V before we go - as her's has managed to go missing, and she needs one. Well, she doesn't need one - but she really should have one, it makes life easier.

Loved the bag you posted on my TR too - that's really cute. I don't think I could carry a wristlet - I am so used to the hands free style of a cross body bag, that having something I'd actually have to carry - would end up lost.

Anyways - I am here and following... Looking forward to more.

D~

 

[IowaTater]

I apologize for my extended absence. I had meant to do a little update earlier but not long after I posted last, I got work that a close friend of mine was not expected to live through the day and unfortunately passed away a couple of hours later. I have been having a really hard time dealing with his passing and haven't felt like getting on my computer or pretty much anything else. It's slowly getting easier, although some days/hours are better than others.

As I predicted before, there have been some minor changes to our plans thanks to all of the new announcements from WDW.

1. Since BTMRR will be closed while we are there, we obviously won't need a FP+ for it. So on our arrival day, we'll use that FP for either Mine Train or Buzz Lightyear.

2. They've announced that they will be offering Rivers of Light Dining Packages. Providing it is still offered for Tusker House breakfast and they don't change the menu too much, we will probably book our Tusker House breakfast as the dining package. That will open up that FP selection which we'll use for Kilimanjaro Safari (more than likely).

3. We've decided to do very subtle costumes for MNSSHP so instead of coming back to the room to change, we'll take them in our backpacks and change in the restroom. That will allow us to stay at EPCOT longer if we want.

We're still waiting for MNSSHP dates, Eat to the Beat concert line-ups, F&W menus, and park hours to be released. We are 37 days away from our ADR date so I hope at least the MNSSHP dates & park hours are released by then.



The waiting is definitely the hardest part.

 

[IowaTater]

Love the purple MB... I may need to find a friend to pick up a MB for V before we go - as her's has managed to go missing, and she needs one. Well, she doesn't need one - but she really should have one, it makes life easier.

Did you see that they are now offering these on MDE? That's what I get for being so impatient. I should have just waited instead of spending the money to buy it.

Loved the bag you posted on my TR too - that's really cute. I don't think I could carry a wristlet - I am so used to the hands free style of a cross body bag, that having something I'd actually have to carry - would end up lost.

Thanks! I've been using here at home and I love it but I definitely won't be carrying it in the park. It will be stashed in my park bag everyday or else I would lose it too.