Making Good on a Very Merry Promise! COMPLETE!

[Tat2ddisneymom]

Yay, another update tomorrow!


Poor, poor decapoitated woody! I really should look and see if anything happend to my sidggie.

 

[1gr8mouse]

UNCLE JOHN SAYS:

You must add to the list at Epcot:
The Coca Cola store with the free samples of coke from around the world...
Tell A, E & O I said they have to try all of them....even the stinky ones!!! Its located near innoventions west!!!

Good places to eat:
All along Appopka Vineland Road, near the downtown disney hotels (Grosevenor, Hilton, Holiday Inn)
Our favorite is: Joe's Crab Shack- lots of stuff going on there....Uno's was good, I think there is a TGI Fridays, etc.

The best Icee's in all of Disney are at the Goofey Candy Co. store in DTD. They have about 10 flavors and will mix them all up for you!!! Standard clear cup is about $4, the cups with the heads and feet (mix & match) are about $8ea. (they are larger cups than you get in any of the parks)

Your getting closer!!!

 

[Leger13]

Well, did everyone get their siggies figured out? My poor Woody was diminished to just a head! Tom helped me tinker with the whole thing and got it to fit in the new regulated area. I hope this means it is acceptable!

Man, it has been quiet here today!!! I didn't do an update today but I did play with my report a bit. I figured out how to link my updates in the first post! (Insert pat on the back here!) I hope this makes it easier for readers to get to them if they don't want to read the banter. Personally, I enjoy that just as much as the actual updates but I realize everyone else may not. SO... my pre-trippie is now very user-friendly!

I should be able to get another update written and posted tomorrow... so look out for that!

hey there! Sorry I haven't been around much. It's been quite a hecktic week. But I'm back now. For a little while at least

Your siggie looks great. That stinks that the new space origionally cut woody's head off mine barely got jacked up. I just had to move a few things up.

That's good that you got the links to your updates figured out looking forward to the next update.

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

UNCLE JOHN SAYS:

You must add to the list at Epcot:
The Coca Cola store with the free samples of coke from around the world...
Tell A, E & O I said they have to try all of them....even the stinky ones!!! Its located near innoventions west!!!

Good places to eat:
All along Appopka Vineland Road, near the downtown disney hotels (Grosevenor, Hilton, Holiday Inn)
Our favorite is: Joe's Crab Shack- lots of stuff going on there....Uno's was good, I think there is a TGI Fridays, etc.

The best Icee's in all of Disney are at the Goofey Candy Co. store in DTD. They have about 10 flavors and will mix them all up for you!!! Standard clear cup is about $4, the cups with the heads and feet (mix & match) are about $8ea. (they are larger cups than you get in any of the parks)

Your getting closer!!!

Uncle John - Ice Station Cool is the coca-cola place! And you know your nephews would not eat at Joe's Crab Shack! We've been to that Fridays though. Owen had barely eaten a thing up until we went there and then he inhaled a huge bowl of piping hot mac and cheese! We kept telling him to wait until it cooled off but the poor thing was starving! To this day I've never seen him eat like that!

I am adding the Goofy icee's to my extra info index cards!!!

I gotta go check out Monica's (poohtiggey) pic of the day and then I will work on the MGM day! See ya in a bit!

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Yay, another update tomorrow!


Poor, poor decapoitated woody! I really should look and see if anything happend to my sidggie.

Aw, look, it's Tat on pain killers! We lost you there for awhile last night... I'm glad to see evidence that you are okay my friend!

hey there! Sorry I haven't been around much. It's been quite a hecktic week. But I'm back now. For a little while at least

Your siggie looks great. That stinks that the new space origionally cut woody's head off mine barely got jacked up. I just had to move a few things up.

That's good that you got the links to your updates figured out looking forward to the next update.

Hey! Glad you're back! It's okay... I know how busy you've been! Now how about that pic I asked for?

 

[Leger13]

Hey! Glad you're back! It's okay... I know how busy you've been! Now how about that pic I asked for?

Picture? I must have missed something.

it's okay you can laugh at me

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

I’m looking forward to seeing the Mickey utility pole along the way! Maybe Carla could post her pic of it on here? (I don’t want to just swipe it from her!)

Picture? I must have missed something.

it's okay you can laugh at me

*and I was laughing at myself*

 

[Leger13]

*and I was laughing at myself*

here you go

I must have missed that post somewhere along the way. I gotta go back and read more.

 

[Leger13]

UPDATE HERE!

Day 3, Nov. 23… AKA ARRIVAL DAY!!!

It is a one and a half hour drive from Gramma’s to WDW. We will rise and shine, eat breakfast, tell Gramma we’ll see her in a couple days and hit the road. I’m hoping by 9 am, but if it’s later than that, no worries. I don’t want this day to be a rushed day. The whole point of leaving two days early is to get to WDW raring to go… not exhausted like we would have been if we had driven down this day. I’m looking forward to seeing the Mickey utility pole along the way! Maybe Carla could post her pic of it on here? (I don’t want to just swipe it from her!)

We cannot check into the condo until 4pm. I’ll probably call when we get closer and see if that is just a guideline or etched in stone.

The sole purpose of today is getting to Epcot! I expect it to still be busy with folks there for Thanksgiving. A CM told me that the crowds would lessen considerably on Sunday. What I want to do this first day… our first time in Epcot… is to get our bearings. Get the lay of the land, if you know what I mean! Since we will have two days to explore I am thinking we will explore Future World today and World Showcase on Thursday.

Things we MUST do in FW include:

Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Nemo and Friends/Turtle talk
Soarin’
Living with the Land
Honey I Shrunk the Audience
Ice Station Cool (anyone want some Beverly?)

Things we MAY do:
Mission: Space
Ellen’s Energy Adventure
Innoventions

Where we eat dinner and how late we stay will be dependent on whether or not we can check in early at the condo. Or maybe we’ll leave, check in and go back and spend the evening and watch Illuminations? Just not sure. We may have to (gasp! ) wing it!

One thing I’ve been doing to prepare for the trip is collecting little tidbits of info that I want to remember when we get to each park. You read so much and then you get there and forget! One thread I’ve been reading on here is “Your best WDW Secret”. It is filled with things that you may or may not find in any of the guide books. It’s like 968574635879095587 (Tat ) pages long now but I read the whole thing! Anyway… as I came across something that I thought was interesting I copied and pasted it into a Word doc. Then when I was finally done, I printed them, cut them out and glued them onto colored index cards, punched a hole and stuck them on binder rings. Epcot cards are blue, MK are pink, MGM are purple, AK are green and extra info on yellow. I’m also writing our ADR info on these cards. Then when we hit a park I can just grab the cards we need for that park! Here is a pic of my card system.

The things I have listed to do or look for in FW are:
1. The shooting water fountains.
2. The talking water fountains.
3. The sidewalks that twinkle at night.
4. Ice Station Cool
5. The pathway between Imagination and Ice Station Cool that plays music when you step on it.
6. Something good to know: the Fountain View restaurant has good frozen juice drinks. (My kids love icee’s!)
7. At Finding Nemo, the sea gulls by the sign chirp “mine, mine!” if you stand in front of them long enough.
8. I have also noted to check the times guide for Mickey’s Tree Lighting Ceremony.


While I am sharing my organizational skills ~ here is a pic of the file folder thingy (yep, it's a technical term! ) that I have been keeping lots of important stuff in!

It has our personalized maps, MVMCP tix, park tix, sea world map and tix, condo info, that list on stuff at each exit... All very good stuff! It is basically the epicenter of our trip planning process! Because I know Sharky will want to know: The label says "DISNEY 2007 WOOHOO DISNEY 2007 WOOHOO DISNEY 2007 WOOHOO"!




Hopefully we will have a good first day!
Hopefully the fast passes won’t be all gone by the time we mosey on in!

The next day will be spent at MGM!

I'm so jealous at how organized you are. How did you come up with the idea for the index cards? That is brilliant!!

I am for sure snabbing up some of your ideas for my next trip. Only if that's okay with you

where does your grandmother live? Mine lives in Lake Placid which is south of the utility pole which is why we got to see it on the way to my g'ma's house.

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

I'm so jealous at how organized you are. How did you come up with the idea for the index cards? That is brilliant!!

I am for sure snabbing up some of your ideas for my next trip. Only if that's okay with you

where does your grandmother live? Mine lives in Lake Placid which is south of the utility pole which is why we got to see it on the way to my g'ma's house.

Feel free to use any ideas! I like to share! Lots of people on the thread I was talking about came up with the same idea. Some folks were talking about lamination and everything!

My grandmother lives in "The Home" in Michigan!!! Gramma is my mom - my kids gramma! She lives north of Tampa in a little town called Odessa... we will be coming from there.

And thank you for the picture!!! I can't wait to see it and snap my own!

Update coming up... just have to move it from Word and add smilies!

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

UPDATE HERE!

Sat., Nov. 24… MGM!

The plan is to eat breakfast at the condo. In fact, we will do that everyday except for one. We aren’t into big sit-down breakfasts, so it works for us.

Last time we went to Disney, MGM was a ½ day park for us. We got there pretty close to opening because we wanted to hit Playhouse Disney first thing. After that we just kind of wandered. I thought Abby would want to see the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and she didn’t. So we just kind of wandered. I remember we ate lunch at Pizza Planet and we got our picture taken at Al’s Toy Barn. I think we saw a parade. Not very memorable, as you can tell.

I think this time will be a totally different experience for all of us. The kids are older and into different things now. I don’t know if this will turn out to be a full day. I would like to see Fantasmic but don’t know if that will work out.

Things we MUST do in MGM:
1. Star Tours
2. Jedi Training Academy (just discovered this yesterday!)
3. Lights, Motor, Action
4. Backlot Tour
5. The Magic of Disney
6. Indiana Jones
7. HISTK playground
8. HSM pep rally
9. We must see Lightening and Mater or Owen will be heartbroken.

Things we MAY do:
1. Great Movie Ride
2. RNRC – if Tom and Abby want too – the boys aren’t quite tall enough
3. TOT – again, if Tom and Abby want too – you couldn’t pay me to do this!
4. Muppets
5. Sounds Dangerous
6. Journey into Narnia
7. Fantasmic

Things listed on my index cards for MGM:
1. Check times guide for: HSM pep rally and jedi training
2. Osborne Family Lights ~ Streets of America: look in the windows. What’s on TV? Find the lamp from A Christmas Story. This should be beautiful!
3. Tip ~ Save the shows for the afternoon, rides in the morning.
4. Star Tours ~ If the boys get nervous, you can ask to do a “flight check” and ride without the motion if it isn’t busy.
5. At the HISTK playground – find the dog and put your hand on the nose… he will sniff you.
6. Find the Singing in the Rain Umbrella!
7. Indiana Jones – While in line you pass a well. Pull the rope and you will hear someone talking down in the well.
8. Mann’s – check out the character’s siggies and prints too.
9. At Pizza Planet – the delivery truck is out front. Buzz is buckled in up front and Woody is in the back with the tool box – just like in the movie!


Okay…. Maybe we will be there ALL day!!!

As for FOOD! The kids, Owen especially, really want to eat at Sci-Fi. So I checked the menu. Lo and Behold, they have food these boys will eat!

Here is where I will share with you that I made a very big mistake! I was a very bad diser and I waited to make ADR’s! I used the handy dandy calculator and made note of when I could call. The days came and went. I thought… “We’re going when it’s not busy! What’s the rush?” Have I not been paying attention?!?!?! Apparently not because I waited until about a month ago! I could’ve called in MAY, people! I digress. So I called to get ressie’s for Sci-Fi for dinner and guess what? I couldn’t get one! Not even a sucky one! See… those Thanksgiving week folks… they are all going to still be there. But I have learned a thing or two… so I ask, “How about lunch?” The CM says, “2:55”. I said, “As in 5 minutes to 3:00?” The CM, “Uhhhh, yes.” She was thinking “moron” but she refrained. I begrudgingly took that time slot and vowed to re-work my entire week to get a better time.

So I kept staring at my schedule thinking it would work itself out! Tom said it wasn’t a big deal. That we could just eat a late lunch that day and then have a snack later. But I know that Evan turns evil when you don’t feed him. I’m not just talking whiny. He goes from the “Yes, Mom, whatever you say, Mom” child to the “full-blown fit throwing, I’m not doing anything you say” child when he is not fed. It’s not pretty. So do we risk that? Do we tell him, “Sorry you are hungry, you must wait until 2:55, as in 5 minutes to 3:00?” I don’t think so.

THEN….. it happened! I was looking at food reports! (Did you know there were food reports? Like trip reports, only just about the food! It’s uncanny!) So I’m reading about this family that ate lunch at Sci-Fi and the atmosphere was great... but the food was awful, except for dessert. Did you hear me??? EXCEPT FOR DESSERT! Ding-dong the witch is dead, we will eat CS for a lightish lunch and have an afternoon treat at Sci-Fi… at 2:55, as in 5 minutes to 3:00! I posted and told the OP she had changed my life.

So… if we need all day, we will stay all day. If we are there at dinner time, we will eat CS. If we are there for Fantasmic… fantastic! If not… ca sara!

End of day two. Up next! Magic Kingdom!!!!!

 

[Leger13]

Feel free to use any ideas! I like to share! Lots of people on the thread I was talking about came up with the same idea. Some folks were talking about lamination and everything!

My grandmother lives in "The Home" in Michigan!!! Gramma is my mom - my kids gramma! She lives north of Tampa in a little town called Odessa... we will be coming from there.

And thank you for the picture!!! I can't wait to see it and snap my own!

Update coming up... just have to move it from Word and add smilies!

yay thanks for the permission! Lamination sounds like a good idea too ....although im too lazy to do things like that ill be doing good to actually make those cards but I have about 10 and a half months until my next trip so i have plenty of time

ooohhhhh haha sorry for the mix up there on grandmothers. I know where Odessa is. My Grandmother lives in Lake Placid (if you know where that's at). If I remember correctly driving from disney towards tampa on I-4 the utility tower is on the right side so if you will only be driving on I-4 on the way towards disney make sure to look to the left (on the drivers side) for it.

your welcome for the picture of the utility tower. i have so many of those pics. we snap one every time we go down to visit my g'mother

woohoo for another update!!

 

[Trentmom]

Yay for another update

It was a great one indeed

I loved your index card with things to look for for MGM.

I never knew about pulling the rope at Indiana Jones near the well and hearing the voices or looking in the window and seeing the lamp from Christmas Story....that is so cool

Good idea just eating dessert at SciFi. Our service was horrible there and the food was so-so. The dessert was great. If we we ever go there again, it would stritcly be for either milkshakes or dessert

 

[Poohtigeey]

Thanks for the update! I need to write this stuff down! I think I'll remember to look under the mat at Muppets, but I'll get got up in the moment! I wrote down the icee tip today! I gave taken so many notes over the last couple of months. Now I need to organize them!

Have you seen Fantasmic before? You gotta see it at least once! It's a can't be missed for us!

I'm with ya on TOT Been there, done that, almost threw up!

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Thanks for the update! I need to write this stuff down! I think I'll remember to look under the mat at Muppets, but I'll get got up in the moment! I wrote down the icee tip today! I gave taken so many notes over the last couple of months. Now I need to organize them!

Have you seen Fantasmic before? You gotta see it at least once! It's a can't be missed for us!

I'm with ya on TOT Been there, done that, almost threw up!

Oh I forgot to include the key under the mat at Muppets, didn't I? It's on a card! I may still have that Word doc if anyone is interested!

Have not seen Fantasmic! Or Illuminations! We saw Wishes, but from our room at the Contemporary. Being in the parks at night will be a whole new thing for us! SO EXCITED!!!!

As for TOT... I am not too thrilled to ride in a real, normal, everyday elevator... why in the world would I subject myself to that one?!?!?! Not gonna happen!

 

[1gr8mouse]

UNCLE JOHN SAYS:

MGM:

Lights, motors, action is a must......a must, no excuses.....they will love it.....
Dont even come back and say you didnt go!!

TOT, you have got to be kidding me....you are a sissy like your sissy. its a must......Tom will do it.........Abster, dont know if she will like it....

Sounds dangerous is a downer/BORING, they will not like it...I'm surprised it is still operating.....

Journey into Narnia is bizarre. But they make it snow outside in Florida, that is cool...still, I think it is weird.....

Walt Disney one mans dream is cool.....when you get to the end they have computers to play on.....cool stuff kind of like karaoke to animated films. They sometimes have characters doing auto. at the end also, photo ops.
Rat-a-touie (sp?) was there last time

Singing in the rain umbrella....I think they removed it...I know they at least turned the water off...We have the photo with the kids under it, Mitch with his tongue out catching the water.....no more though....they prob. had birds poop in the water!!!

Sci-fi...ok, so so.....good shakes thats it....but you can get the glow in the dark frisbee.....I think.

In Aug. they were working on something next to star wars...dont know what it was....

Great movie ride: always a good get out of the sun, heat ride....not worth a long wait...if the line is outside the building forget it.....for some reason the kids love this ride!! They do have a shoot out in it.....depending on what scene your car stops in....

Fantasmic: awesome, but tough to wait for at the end of a long day....leave the park and just go back.....or you will probably be miserable.

Beauty and the beast is always good.

ENJOY!!!!

 

[KimmyDisneyNerd]

Okay, here is my 2cents....
Fantasmic is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G (for me it is the one thing I will not miss)

Sci-fi is so FUN (we think the food is pretty good)

Singing in the rain umbrella is def still there....

GMR, the car ALWAYS stops in the same spot, so you will see the shoot-out every single time.

Beauty and the Beast is beautiful but sometimes boring for little kids (depending on the kids, of course)

Lights, motors, action! Is cool

TOT, ya what you have said already.....

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Happy Friday!!!

Don't you just love how "UNCLE JOHN SAYS"
is becoming a regular segment? I DO! *Insert sappy-ness here* I miss my family... A LOT!... including Uncle John... and having him here is really nice for me... it's a connection to home and it makes me happy! *Sappy-ness over*

John! I AM NOT a sissy! I birthed two babies the way God intended me to within 12 minutes of each other... from that point henceforth no one is allowed to call me a sissy!!!! hmph! I will not ride TOT and you cannot bully me into it. (where is there a stick your tongue out smilie when you need one?)

Light's, Motor, Action... wasn't that on my MUST do list?

What they are building next to Star Tours is probably Toy Story Mania!

The umbrella!!! On that thread of secrets I was talking about... almost every other page there is someone saying the umbrella is there, next page it's gone, next page it's there but it doesn't work, next page it works! Too funny! We will look for it and let you know!

WOW! Kimmy is the first person I've come across that said the food is good at Sci-Fi! I am sure it all depends on who is working, cooking, etc. No matter, we looking forward to it... especially Owen who insists he sit in the driver's seat!

Well... I've got a doctor's appt. this morning so I best get a move on. Another busy weekend for me but I'm sure I'll stop by as I don't seem to be able to go that long without a DIS fix.

 

[mom2mek]

What they are building next to Star Tours is probably Toy Story Mania!

Hi Nicole! Sorry - I lurk more than post, but I have been reading and just wanted to mention that the thing they were building in August that your uncle mentions is indeed the Jedi Training Academy! It's open now and the show times (unless they change them) are currently:

Jedi Training Academy
In front of Star Tours
20-minute shows
9:40, 10:40 & 11:40am, 12:30, 1:20, 2:10, 3:45 & 4:45pm

I think I remember that your boys are Star Wars fanatics, as is mine! So this is a not-to-be-missed attraction for us! I have read that wearing a bright color and/or making a sign that says "Pick Me" or "The Force Is Strong in Me" or something like that might help get them picked to participate!

Toy Story Mania is (I believe) going to be on Mickey Avenue!

Good luck! Love your report!

Sara

 

[KimmyDisneyNerd]

WOW! Kimmy is the first person I've come across that said the food is good at Sci-Fi! I am sure it all depends on who is working, cooking, etc. No matter, we looking forward to it... especially Owen who insists he sit in the driver's seat!

Every meal we have ever had there was good. We have been about 8-10 times. I do hear a lot of negatives about it, yet it is one of the hardest ADR to get. I know the atmosphere is AWESOME, but I don't think people keep going back just for that

The thing is on these boards I can find negatives about EVERY single restaurant on property. It seems that people try to find the negatives and are reserved to talk about the possitives.