Looking forward to a crowd-free Disney Trip! **Update 9/4**

[sheri18]

great PTR and pics....couple of quick questions...where do I find the info on the dessert party....: and how do I post my picks from Facebook...tried but I cant seem to get it done....

 

[sheri18]

I promise to respond to everyone's comments later, but just wanted to get some pregnancy-related advice!!!

I'm trying to come up with a list of the rides that I should avoid on our trip. At the time of our trip, I will be about 20 1/2 weeks pregnant. I'm already really, really worried about eating on the trip! I've been sick ALOT and not just "morning sickness" but more like "all day sickness"! So I figure if I can write a list of the rides that I can't go on, I'll at least feel like I've accomplished something!!!

When I am not throwing up, I just feel nautious & I rarely get hungry for anything. You can sit there & name five thousand restaurants to me & I won't be hungry for ONE single food item! Its just terrible!!! In the past few days, I have began to "sort of" become hungry for random things. I just have to basically eat at the moment when I'm hungry or else the feeling passes & I just begin to feel nautious again!

So, back to the rides! I found this list on wdwinfo and wondered if anyone has anything to add to it! This is their list for things pregnant women need to avoid. I personally disagree with 3 of them...I think I will be fine on Indy Speedway, Kilamanjaro Safari and Kali River Rapids.

From WDWinfo:
Here's the list of attractions that pregnant women shouldn't ride:

Magic Kingdom:

•Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
•Space Mountain
•Splash Mountain
•Tomorrowland Indy Speedway

Epcot:

•Mission: SPACE
•Test Track

Disney's Hollywood Studios:

•Star Tours
•Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
•Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom:

•DINOSAUR
•Expedition Everest
•Kali River Rapids
•Kilimanjaro Safari
•Primeval Whirl

What do you guys think???

It so funny the similarites of our trip...both going roughly the same time and my DIL is also pregnant and due the same time as you...which works out for me, as I do not do alot of "thrill" attractions, I can use the excuse that I need to stay with her.....

 

[Princess.Rachel]

That is so exciting about Luke!!!

I'm so excited about your dessert party! I've always wondered how people snatch them up so quickly!! Congrats!!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Congrats on getting the Dessert Party!!! We did it last summer, and although it was POURING like crazy that night, we still enjoyed it. Tinkerbell didn't get to fly because of the rain but I heard she flies right over you! I was disappointed about that but what can you do? The desserts were really good and it was nice to sit at a table with hot coffee (yes, it was summer, but RAIN) instead of standing in the rain watching the show. You're going to love it! SO happy for you!

AND also soooo thrilled that Luke is potty trained!! So funny, my niece finally is too for the past week and 1/2. My sister is BEYOND excited about no more diapers and no diapers in Disney!


OH and I got a lovely card in the mail yesterday!!! Thank you so much!! What are on those 2 cds? I put them into my comp real quick but they are not titled. I figured one was Disney Channel shows (Handy Manny/Phineas Ferb) but what was the other? I'd like to search for the CD so I can find a song list. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! You are the best! And the card was so nice!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

I am getting all caught up today on my Dis reading! Yay for Luke! Potty training is a big deal!

Yay for the dessert party. I am hoping it will run in November as I would like to do one this time around. I need to get back to planning that trip as I am changing our dates and I don't have anything done.

Your garden looks amazing! I really miss having one at our house.

We just recently had a balloon festival in the town next to ours. It is so neat to watch the balloons when they are flying high above. I, too, like the strawberry balloon! Too cute.

 

[Megablocks]

great PTR and pics....couple of quick questions...where do I find the info on the dessert party....: and how do I post my picks from Facebook...tried but I cant seem to get it done....

I finally figured out how to post pics from my Facebook! Open up the picture, then right click (if you have a Mac, like I do, hit "ctrl" and click.) Go to "reload page" and wait for the new page to load. Right click again on the picture and go to "copy image address." Click the "insert image" link (third from right, it looks like a picture of mountains -- if you hover over for a second it says "insert image") and paste the address into the box that pops up. Click "ok" and it's posted! I hope this helps, PM me if you want if you can't figure it out!

 

[lbuzz52]

Congrats on the potty training! I wish James would grasp it.

i guess i had always assumed that the dessert party prices were higher. that's not too bad. i think i may have to add it to my next trip list!

 

[Stefy]

Wow!!! I still can't believe its so close!!! I think I'm more excited for your wedding than I am for my own trip!!!

There definitely will be lots of firsts for Luke this trip!!! My husband & I were actually just talking about the rides at MK last night. We determined that last June, we rode: the Tea Cups, the Train, POTC, IASW, Swiss Family Treehouse, walked through ToonTown twice, and watched the parade! I seriously can't believe it

I just kept saying over & over again -- "WHAT exactly did we do on TWO days at MK?" LOL!!! I think we mostly just walked around and/or people watched. It was just so hard to do anything with the 120-180+ wait times -- the Fast Passes were gone almost everyday before 11am and it just wasn't worth rushing to the parks for rope drop everyday. A grumpy toddler isn't worth it!

I am very excited to see Luke's reactions to alot of the rides & shows!!! I traveled to Disney many times as a child & teenager -- but this is only my husband's 3rd trip as well as Luke's 3rd! So I love seeing his reactions to everything as well! I'm planning to send him solo on Splash Mountain, BTMRR, and Space Mtn at MK. I can't wait to see what he thinks of them!!! He'll also be going on Test Track & Mission Space at Epcot for the first time (and also solo!) I'm very anxious to see both of their reactions to their "firsts"

Yes, I am doing a PhotoPass share with my mom

Lol, thanks Think its 25 days now til the big day

Oh gosh so a lot of firsts for DH too, I wander which ride will be his favourite

Are you going to check out Tom Sawyer Island? Bet Luke will love that, little boat ride over and then exploring the island

Congrats on the Dessert Party, you guys will love it and congrats on the potty training too

 

[photographymom517]

I am SO jealous but so excited that you got the Wishes dessert party booked! I'm hoping for it for January. I'm not sure if my dad and brother would be really interested in anything besides the desserts, but I know my mom would really like it, and I think Kailyn would, too. Thank goodness you figured out the mobile uploads on Facebook, now if you take pictures from there I can drool over them.

Also, way to go Luke! That's awesome!

Oh my gosh, they totally would. My friend's dad is hilarious and crazy as well and my friend said something about getting our dads together for a "playdate."

Ohio is really open, but the area where my family lives has started to get a lot more housing developments. It's still really open, but it's definitely gotten a lot more populated since my grandmother moved out there. When my grandmother moved to her new place last year, I don't think our GPS recognized the street name b/c her development was built where there had been basically a lot of nothing, and they had to create streets and street names in there. SO weird! I do love driving across Ohio and PA just b/c I like the flatness and openness of the highways and everything. It is weird to me, though, that where my family lives, in order to get to a mall, or really any kind of store that is not a grocery store (or antique store, or a Goodwill), you need to drive all the way to the nearest "big" city, which is Columbus. There's also no public transportation, which is always weird to me b/c I'm used to seeing buses all the time when I'm driving. Oh, and the people are really, really nice and friendly and have the cute southern-ish accents. Seriously, I can find so many differences!

I think where we live is sort of in between where you live & where your grandma lives (not location-wise, but I mean the similiarities/differences of the cities!) We do live out in the country & there are tons of fields & farms closeby. But we only have to drive a mile down the road to get on a main road & drive into the city. From my house, the city is about 10 minutes away, but its a smaller city. We have a hospital, lots of pharmacies/nursing homes, dollar stores, a Walmart/Lowes, and restaurants. We don't have any of the major department stores (other than Sears which I don't count) or malls. We have to drive about 30 minutes to get to the closest mall or "big" city.

Buses have become more abundant in our town in the past 8-10 years I would say. "Back in the day" they were very popular & it was the main way of transportation -- but that was in the 30's/40's when the city was really large! We had more businesses here at that time.

I definitely think you should book the Wishes Dessert Party for January!!!

yay for the dessert party

I'm glad to be getting my appetite back a little bit! Seeing your pictures on FB of those yummy desserts is definitely helping!!! I was drooling over your chocolate cake from Norway!!!

Yay for Luke! And Yay for the dessert party! I am considering booking the one at DLR, but it's super pricey, and I am not even sure it will be offered the days we are there. That's one of my biggest frustrations with DLR, nothing is available until 3 months out or less, even ADRs!

I'm soooo thrilled about potty training! I was helping him when he'd go until this week. He now goes in when he feels like going instead of me having to ask every 2 hours if he needs to use the potty! He's learned the routine now & while he can do it himself, he also knows its ok if he does need to ask for help!!! I'm thrilled to death to not have to lug a box of diapers down to Florida!!!

I can't wait to see what you booked for DL!!! I got an advertisement yesterday from Disney Visa and they were showing the events at DL for Halloween. Are you doing their Halloween party?

great PTR and pics....couple of quick questions...where do I find the info on the dessert party....: and how do I post my picks from Facebook...tried but I cant seem to get it done....

The information on the Dessert Party is pretty easy to find! Go to the Disney website & then look under "Where to Eat" and then "Dining Events." From there, you will see "Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party".

Here's the direct link
Wishes Dessert Party Link

You can click "Make a Reservation" and then search for your date.

One tip, if its getting close to your trip (like 30-45 days out) and you don't see your date appear on the calendar (where you make reservations), then type in the date manually. For instance, if you want a ressie for January 1, then type in 01/01/2011 -- its important that you put the zeros in for single-digit months & days. I learned this little trick here on DIS when people were booking the party earlier than when the dates were being shown as "open dates" to book!!!

If you need help or want more info, PM me & I'll help you out!

It so funny the similarites of our trip...both going roughly the same time and my DIL is also pregnant and due the same time as you...which works out for me, as I do not do alot of "thrill" attractions, I can use the excuse that I need to stay with her.....

That is funny!!! To tell you the truth, while I am slightly disappointed that I can't do some of the "thrill rides" I am also a little relieved. First, it will free up more time in the day because we don't have to wait in line for those main attractions! Plus, if its a ride my husband does want to ride but I can't, I will stop in a gift shop with my son or grab something quick to eat. It will be perfect as my husband HATES to shop!!! He gets annoyed everytime I go in a giftshop on vacation...and well, I go in all of them!

That is so exciting about Luke!!!

I'm so excited about your dessert party! I've always wondered how people snatch them up so quickly!! Congrats!!

Someone here on DIS told me that people basically STALK the Disney website to book the Wishes Dessert Party! I thought they may be over-exaggerating a little, but now that I've booked it, I think they're right!!! The night we're going has been booked for a week or more & they just opened up the dates!!!

 

[photographymom517]

Congrats on getting the Dessert Party!!! We did it last summer, and although it was POURING like crazy that night, we still enjoyed it. Tinkerbell didn't get to fly because of the rain but I heard she flies right over you! I was disappointed about that but what can you do? The desserts were really good and it was nice to sit at a table with hot coffee (yes, it was summer, but RAIN) instead of standing in the rain watching the show. You're going to love it! SO happy for you!

AND also soooo thrilled that Luke is potty trained!! So funny, my niece finally is too for the past week and 1/2. My sister is BEYOND excited about no more diapers and no diapers in Disney!

OH and I got a lovely card in the mail yesterday!!! Thank you so much!! What are on those 2 cds? I put them into my comp real quick but they are not titled. I figured one was Disney Channel shows (Handy Manny/Phineas Ferb) but what was the other? I'd like to search for the CD so I can find a song list. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! You are the best! And the card was so nice!

I'm glad to hear how much you enjoyed the dessert party!!! I am really, really looking forward to it! Probably one of my top 5 things we're doing on our trip!!! I heard that too, that Tink flies right over you. Sorry you missed out! I'm really hoping it doesn't rain alot during our trip. I don't mind the occassional shower but I've been there in the past when it poured all day long! When I was younger, I literally thought the "norm" at Disney was to walk around in a rain poncho!!!

I am sooo beyond thrilled for your sister!!! I completely understand how relieved she is about potty training!!! Its such an experience, I'm not even sure how to describe it! Between potty training Luke & me being sick almost daily, I felt like we spent a month straight in the bathroom!!!

We usually ship a box down to FL with diapers, wipes, etc in it. It will be wonderful not to have to worry about that this time around!!! I probably won't even order from Garden Grocer this year either since Brook posted that wonderful update & description of the Hess Station. Everything we need should be there.

I'm so glad you got your card!!!

I emailed you a listing of what was on the CD's. Sorry it took a few days. I meant to send it sooner!

I am getting all caught up today on my Dis reading! Yay for Luke! Potty training is a big deal!

Yay for the dessert party. I am hoping it will run in November as I would like to do one this time around. I need to get back to planning that trip as I am changing our dates and I don't have anything done.

Your garden looks amazing! I really miss having one at our house.

We just recently had a balloon festival in the town next to ours. It is so neat to watch the balloons when they are flying high above. I, too, like the strawberry balloon! Too cute.

Hey Erika! Now I need to get caught up on your report!!!

My goal is to get caught up on everything before we leave. Its hard to come back from a 10 day trip & catch up to what I missed before I left PLUS what I missed during the trip! I keep telling everyone to stop updating until I'm caught up, but it seems to make people update even more!

Our garden is just about done, which is sad

We still have our watermelon to look forward to, but its been getting cold at night. We haven't had a frost yet, but the bottoms of the tomatoes & peppers are getting ruined because of the cold. My DH has been taking bag after bag to work! I told him its a shame that we can't figure out a way to ship them because I have at least 15 DIS friends who would LOVE to take some!!! Our eggplant never grew, we only had 3 cucumbers, and maybe 3-5 zucchini. My MIL sends over zucchini occassionally but she tries to give me 5-8 at a time & I only take 2 at the most!!! Unfortunately, I think the last of our Tiny Tims are in the fridge right now. Once they get so big, the plants droop over & the bugs have started to eat them. We put tomato stakes around them but they still manage to fall over since the plants are so heavy & so short. We're still getting peppers but I think this week will be the end.

I finally figured out how to post pics from my Facebook! Open up the picture, then right click (if you have a Mac, like I do, hit "ctrl" and click.) Go to "reload page" and wait for the new page to load. Right click again on the picture and go to "copy image address." Click the "insert image" link (third from right, it looks like a picture of mountains -- if you hover over for a second it says "insert image") and paste the address into the box that pops up. Click "ok" and it's posted! I hope this helps, PM me if you want if you can't figure it out!

Meghan, I am so glad you replied to her because I am clueless about that!!! Wow, it sounds super easy! I might have to do that for my future Disney trips! My problem is that I rarely upload pics to facebook because it takes at least an hour to upload like 20 pictures! And of course, we know I have way more pics than that!!!

Congrats on the potty training! I wish James would grasp it.

i guess i had always assumed that the dessert party prices were higher. that's not too bad. i think i may have to add it to my next trip list!

Lauren, don't worry -- James will get it soon! I was getting so frustrated because everyone kept telling me that one day, out of the blue, it just clicks in their head & they start going on the potty! Well, that just wasn't happening! And I was beginning to think I'd spend the rest of my life asking Luke every 2 hours if he needed to use the potty & carrying a little seat around in my purse! LOL

I think its different for every child. My one friend has a potty chart & everytime her daughter uses the potty, she gets a sticker. After so many stickers, she gets a small prize and once the chart is full, she gets to go somewhere fun (like Chuck e Cheese or Build a Bear). That wasn't working at all with Luke. I just had to keep telling him that he's a big boy now & that big boys use the potty. Then everytime we were around my nephews, I'd have them take him into the bathroom with them. He started to figure out that everyone uses that big potty except him & for Luke, thats what made it work. I have 2 potty books that he liked to read & just kept explaining the process to him over & over. In Luke's case, which really surprised me, telling him that he would get a special prize did not work! He seemed to respond better when I would talk to him about it.

This is the first week that we've been completely accident-free, but I still allow him to wear a pull-up to bed. My nephew still wears one to bed & he's 4 1/2 so I figured it was ok to do for a few months. But the good news is that he hasn't gone in his pull up at nighttime at all yet!!! They are dry every morning when I take them off him! So we probably will try the undies at bedtime soon.

If you ever need to talk about it, just text me. I know that's what really helped me the most! I had the support of so many moms who have recently gone through it!

Lol, thanks Think its 25 days now til the big day

Oh gosh so a lot of firsts for DH too, I wander which ride will be his favourite

Are you going to check out Tom Sawyer Island? Bet Luke will love that, little boat ride over and then exploring the island

Congrats on the Dessert Party, you guys will love it and congrats on the potty training too

Less than 30 days for both of our trips now, Stefy!!!

And -- you will be a married woman in just a couple weeks!!!

We are def. going to Tom Sawyer's Island!!! We went last June and Luke LOVED it!!! My husband really enjoyed it too. It was nice to just walk around & explore! Last June it was also a really nice relief from the crowds at MK! I think our MK day was a 9 last year!!!

I'm hoping to post another update soon & would like to include my fav pics from last June's trip -- so I'll make sure to add some from the island in there too!!! I got some great pics walking around!

 

[Stefy]

Ooh that will be cool to see. We've never done TSI before

 

[MeMom]

We still have our watermelon to look forward to, but its been getting cold at night. We haven't had a frost yet, but the bottoms of the tomatoes & peppers are getting ruined because of the cold. My DH has been taking bag after bag to work! I told him its a shame that we can't figure out a way to ship them because I have at least 15 DIS friends who would LOVE to take some!!!

Watermelon!
I'm sort of in the 'my kingdom for a watermelon' camp. It is my favorite fruit, followed by grapes. Watermelon is the bomb, though, in my opinion, and there are times I think I have eaten a whole one pretty much by myself in just a few days. When we live in DIStown (in heaven one of these days?), I will look forward to your garden. Especially the watermelons.

And the tomatoes.


Jill did one M&M as a potty persuasion. Worked like a charm on Bella, 'cause she loves her M's.

I think your shopping plan sounds good. That's what we do some with John - he'll go do a single rider line for something we're not too much into, and we'll check out a gift shop.
Keeps everybody happy.

 

[photographymom517]

Ooh that will be cool to see. We've never done TSI before

I will post an update just of Tom Sawyer Island pictures just for you, Stefy!!! We got a ton of pics there last year, I think around 150 or so!

I'm going to post "Remembering Luke's 1st Two Trips" this morning. The weather is horrible here today so I figure I might as well DIS!!!

I changed plans again last night! LOL I switched our arrival day ADR because MK has EMH that night until 1am & now we're thinking of going! I also cancelled Kona before MNSSHP and added Teppan Edo instead. So now I have to call to add another day to our park tickets.

Watermelon!
I'm sort of in the 'my kingdom for a watermelon' camp. It is my favorite fruit, followed by grapes. Watermelon is the bomb, though, in my opinion, and there are times I think I have eaten a whole one pretty much by myself in just a few days. When we live in DIStown (in heaven one of these days?), I will look forward to your garden. Especially the watermelons.

And the tomatoes.

Jill did one M&M as a potty persuasion. Worked like a charm on Bella, 'cause she loves her M's.

I think your shopping plan sounds good. That's what we do some with John - he'll go do a single rider line for something we're not too much into, and we'll check out a gift shop.
Keeps everybody happy.

Oh MeMom! Someday...we WILL be in DIStown!!!

I would love to share my watermelons with you -- and well, anything in the garden that you'd like to have!!!

Speaking of the watermelons, they are really growing! We found a few more really tiny ones last night & the larger ones are growing bigger every day! We had tons of rain this morning, so I will go out later this afternoon & take more pictures! I bet they've grown again!

I love Jill's M&M idea for potty training! I actually wish I would've thought of that because Luke loves M&M's! Did you guys ever go to the M&M store at the Florida Mall ?? My mom went there last year on a mission to find each of the kids a tshirt in their favorite color! Poor Blue M&M was left out & he made sure to tell her too! It was hilarious!!! I wasn't there, but she took a picture of him crying about it -- I'll have to see if I can find that pic!!! Its priceless!

I have no idea why but it was terribly hard to bribe Luke! And trust me, I tried...pretty much everything! I finally just gave up & tried explaining to him that he was a big boy & it was gross to go in your underpants

This past week, he's actually been accident-free day AND night. He fell asleep a few nights before bedtime so I didn't have a chance to put a pull-up on him -- he didn't have an accident so I've been letting him go to bed every night without a pull-up! And its working!!! He also couldn't find his potty seat a few times so he went on the regular potty!!! I'm glad he isn't afraid to do that because my nephew was terrified of falling in!!!

I think its safe to say that we are officially 100% potty trained!!! I couldn't be happier!!!

 

[photographymom517]

I'd like to post a few updates this morning! Before reminiscing about Luke's very first 2 trips to Disney, I wanted to post some pics of Tom Saywer Island! This update is specifically for Stefy -- but I hope you all enjoy it!!!

If you haven't done this yet, I recommend it. Its very relaxing when its hot/humid or very crowded. I think last June, this was the ONLY place at MK where there weren't 6,538,532,322 people!!!

It was actually funny because there was an older couple sitting on the porch & we had to go over to them to see if they were alive or just manequins!!! They were sooo relaxed it was honestly hard to tell until we got about a foot away! Now THAT tells you how relaxing the island can be!!!

Enjoy!

First up -- walking to where you board the raft

Looking back at the dock once we're on the raft

Another raft at dock

Arriving at the dock on the other side of the water

I'm claustrophic & Luke is terrified of the dark -- but we were both fine throughout all of the caves! It was fun & interesting! You're never sure where the end of the tunnel/cave is & you just have to keep walking!

You can't tell from this picture, but these gems were sooo pretty!!! They sparkled & really looked much better than this pic shows!

To be continued . . .

 

[photographymom517]

The Map of the Island

I loved this view because it reminded me of Animal Kingdom!

Almost to the end of another cave

Right as I went to take this picture, a bunch of other people walked onto the barrel bridge & I almost fell over & dropped my camera in the water! Just warning you -- make sure to put your camera strap around your neck or wrist so you don't lose it in the water!!! It would've been horrible!

 

[photographymom517]

Not sure if this was just down for refurb or what. I've heard you can get a snack or drink here, but it wasn't open & we went to TSI twice during our trip. Two different days, two different times. Anyone have info on Aunt Polly's ???

Just a fun fact -- did you know the Liberty Square Riverboat can hold 450 people?

Another "must do" for this trip!!!

 

[photographymom517]

This is a real vending machine. We got 2 drinks here. I think they were $1.50 or $2.00 a piece.

We took a picture of this because its a Laurel Oak (from Pennsylvania where we live!)

 

[photographymom517]

I also wanted to post a few updates regarding my pregnancy. I've been trying to take weekly pictures. I didn't do it with my previous pregnancies & I really regret it. I think I have 5 pictures of myself pregnant when I had Luke -- one at Christmas (4 months), one at Easter (7 months), one at 8 months and one right before I had him. The 8 month pic is priceless! I took it before our dinner at Red Lobster & I remember asking the hostess for a booth. Her reply "Well, let's see if you fit first!"

I wasn't mad at her, she said it in a joking voice & we both laughed. But I think of it everytime I look at that picture!

I also am scheduled for a sonogram and an ob appointment prior to our trip. We should find out the gender of the baby & I promise to report back here before I leave!!!

I posted this on Facebook already, but if you want one of these awesome Mickey tie dye shirts, check out the Etsy store "One Great Thing." Her name is Cassi & she is amazing! She also has a facebook page & you can visit her Etsy store through that as well. She will allow you to send her shirts to use to make sure they will fit you -- or you can just let her know the design you want & she will tell you ahead of time which brand the shirts are made from. This one was made from an Old Navy tank -- I often buy tanks there so I knew it would fit. But if you're unsure, like I said, just ask her & she'll let you ship the shirts to her!

I'm a repeat customer! I bought from her last year & will definitely buy again in the future! I got 2 tanks -- this rainbow one and a red/pink/purple/black one. I LOVE both of them! She also has tshirts, dresses, matching shirts for the entire family, and lots more! Definitely check out her page!!!

15 weeks

16 weeks (yesterday actually!)

Will keep you posted!!!

 

[lbuzz52]

Miss Hope i'm not even sure you look pregnant yet. By my 16th week i had half a basketball

 

[photographymom517]

Miss Hope i'm not even sure you look pregnant yet. By my 16th week i had half a basketball

Thanks Lauren!!! You're such a sweetie!!!

Don't get too excited yet about the lack of weight gain -- its coming, trust me!!!!

This happened with my past pregnancies too! Right now, I can get away with wearing a bigger size. It "hides my tummy" because the clothes aren't tight! But give it a few weeks & trust me, I will look like I have a FEW basketballs under my shirt! I get HUGE, trust me!