May the Force be With Us (a May 2011 Anniversary trip - PTR)

[Chaitali]

In order to feed my Disney obsession further, my husband got me the Epic Mickey video game for the Wii yesterday! It's pretty cute so far and has a lot of references to old Disney shorts and obscure Disney characters such as Oswald the Rabbit.

As far as actual vacation planning, I've been reading the boards for even more tips. We have a cheap point and shoot and the photos it's capable of are just ok, especially in lower light situations. I love my DSLR camera but I was a little unsure about whether to take it to the parks or not. I've been reading and looking at photos on the photography forum. It seems like a lot of people do it and it's not a problem to take the camera on the rides, so I'm going to go for it! After all, there's not much point to a camera if I'm afraid to take it anywhere and leave it home all the time! It did fine in India so I'm sure it can handle Disney


IMG_0137_edited-1 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
(Photo of the Taj Mahal taken with the DSLR)

I did buy a new padded strap for the camera since the weight hurt my neck at times while we were in India. I'm going to start researching a good bag for Disney World now. We want something that's not too big and distributes the weight well. We have a back pack we've used when traveling before but I think it's too big for a day in the parks. And we have a messenger bag we used in India but I think it hurt my husband's shoulder after a while. Both the camera strap and the new bag should also come in useful for our next trip which will be to the U.K. If anyone has a recommendation for a good day bag, I'd be interested in hearing it!

 

[britt_ji]

All of your plans sound great! We will also be at POR at the end of May. Can't wait to hear more about your plans. Your Disney memory pictures are great, too! I'm subscribing.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Your itinerary sounds great! Am subbing and looking forward to reading more, especially your reviews of V&A, as well as CG - what a great way to celebrate your anniversary!

Have you been to the UK before? If not, feel free to ask any questions - will try my best to answer them

 

[Chaitali]

Sorry I haven't been here in a while. There hasn't been too much Disney planning going on in the past couple weeks. Welcome to the new readers

I have bought a baggalini messenger bag since I saw it recommended on here and saw a post about a discount code. It's a little smaller than I expected but it does seem to be well organized. I'll probable try to put things in it and see how things fit. I'll take photos too so I can post them here. We went to a running store this weekend to buy Mike some sneakers so he can have comfortable shoes for walking around Disney. And now he has plenty of time to break them in before we get down there.

In addition, I bought a book called "The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World" on my nook. I've really been enjoying reading it and the information about little details in the parks. It's amazing how well thought out every little detail is and how everything plays into the theme. I know some people worry things like that may ruin the magic, but it enhances it for me. And I am now determined to make sure that we have some time to just enjoy being at Disney and take in the details that they spent so much time and attention on Mike is reading the book now too and I know he feels the same way. And I love that it's on my nook so that I can take it down with us without any added weight in the luggage.

Last bit of Disney stuff in my life... right now I'm watching the Oscars. I'm excited to see that there will be a performance from "Tangled." I loved that movie!

 

[Chaitali]

Your itinerary sounds great! Am subbing and looking forward to reading more, especially your reviews of V&A, as well as CG - what a great way to celebrate your anniversary!

Have you been to the UK before? If not, feel free to ask any questions - will try my best to answer them

Thanks for the offer! I studied for a year in London while I was in college but that was a long time ago! Also, planning a vacation is pretty different than being a student and going where the wind takes you over a weekend. We had to shorten the U.K. trip to fit Disney in this year so it'll be 10 days now. The current itinerary is going to be London, Bath and Wales.

 

[taymorel]

You will love Disney in May. I am not a Star Wars fan, but I still enjoyed Star Wars Weekend last year.



caroline

 

[TanzUnited99]

Thanks for the offer! I studied for a year in London while I was in college but that was a long time ago! Also, planning a vacation is pretty different than being a student and going where the wind takes you over a weekend. We had to shorten the U.K. trip to fit Disney in this year so it'll be 10 days now. The current itinerary is going to be London, Bath and Wales.

Your welcome! You'll have a great time - have never been to Bath (I know - that is bad considering I live in the UK) but have been to London and Wales quite a few times. That is quite a contrast - going from busy London to the picturesque Wales! Just make sure you are prepared for the cold weather.

Back to Disney...am looking forward to seeing a picture of your baggallini. Have not read 'The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World'...may have to look into buying it.

 

[Chaitali]

On March 17th during work, I kept thinking of what I would be doing in two months At this time in two months, I'll be getting off the plane. At this time, I should be arriving at the airport in Orlando. And so on... It certainly makes it seem closer!

As promised, I did take a couple photos of the bag. I put my nook in it, a wrap (since I get cold in the air condition sometimes), a towel just to take the place of ponchos or anything else I feel like I need to pack, my phone, my wallet, some ziploc bags, a few band-aids, a small bottle of sunblock, a water bottle and my sun glasses. It held it all beautifully. Also, I can place my camera in a ziploc bag and stuff it in the bag also in case of rain.


IMG_0092 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Here's the empty bag next to an I-phone for size purposes. You can see that there's a main compartment, and also two smaller compartments in the front. I put small things like the bandaids, ziploc bags and the small bottle of sunblock in the front compartments. There's also a pocket on the other side (the side that rests against your back) where you can put more valuable things so they aren't accessible to others while you're wearing the bag. I put my wallet and phone in that pocket.


IMG_0094 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

A photo of my husband wearing the bag. You can see the side pocket for the water bottle. There's also a side pocket on the other side where I put the sunglasses. Lastly, there's a small pocket in the strap that goes across your chest for things you want to access easily. I think it's probably the perfect size for fast passes or Kingdom to the World cards.


IMG_0095 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Here's a photo of the inside of the main compartment with my wrap, my nook and a towel.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love the pics of the new bag...just think less then two month before you can use it in Disney World!

 

[Chaitali]

Well, almost paid off AAA charged the remainder of the balance to the credit card today. I'll be paying off the credit card later this week since I don't like to carry a large balance on it.

I've fooled around trying to make up some touring plans. I think I've got a good start but it's a little difficult to know how much can be done in a certain span of time. Here's what I have for our first day, let me know what you think

We should be getting to MCO around 9:15am on a Tuesday. We'll be taking Magical Express to Port Orleans Riverside. I'm hoping we'll be there by 10:30 or so. If we can check into the room, great. If not, we'll take a bit of a walk around the grounds and take some photos. An early lunch at the food court around 11 and then off to the Magic Kingdom on the bus! Hopefully we'll be there by 1pm at the latest.

This is the part I'm unsure of. I've put together a touring plan of attractions we want to see (keep in mind we have a morning at Magic Kingdom later in the week). I'm just not sure if this is overly ambitious for one afternoon.

1. Obtain a FASTPASS for Big Thunder Mountain RR

2. Ride the Jungle Cruise

3. Ride Pirates of the Caribbean

4. Obtain a FASTPASS for Splash Mountain (If the window hasn't opened up yet we can kill some time with Dole Whips and strolling. We can also switch around #4 and #5 if needed)

5. The Haunted Mansion

6. Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

7. Ride Splash Mountain

8. Ride the Astro Orbiter (This one is an ok if we do, ok if we don't attraction)

So what do you think? I'm hoping we can be done with this plan by 6 or 7 and then go to Down Town Disney for dinner at Earl of Sandwich and window shopping. Does anyone know if there are buses from Magic Kingdom to Downtown Disney or should we go back POR and take the boat? If our room wasn't ready by the time we left for the park earlier, I guess we will have to go back to POR first.

 

[Chaitali]

Ok, so here is my rough touring plan for our Thursday morning at the Magic Kingdom. It will be after the afternoon we spent there so we'll already have done Frontier Land, Adventure Land and Liberty Square. This will be Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land. We're planning to get there at Rope Drop for the extra magic hour.


Ride Peter Pan's Flight

Ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Ride It's a Small World

Obtain a FASTPASS for Space Mountain

Ride Buzz Lightyear

Ride Space Mountain

Obtain FASTPASSes for Mickey's PhilharMagic

Dine at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe

See The Carousel of Progress

Tomorrow Land Transit Authority (?)

See Mickey's PhilharMagic

We do have park hoppers so we're planning to leave once we've done this and hopefully before it gets too crowded. We'll probably spend a couple hours at Hollywood Studios in the afternoon and then go to our dinner at the California Grill. We should be able to see the fireworks from there

 

[TanzUnited99]

Your lists sound good so far!

The early morning hours should let you accomplish the second list - yay on having Park Hoppers and being able to change parks. Looking at the first day list you may be tired after the travelling and the list may be a bit too much. Am basing it on how we would feel after travelling but if you feel you can get through it then go for it!

If you do not manage to complete the first day list you can always add it to the EMH morning as have heard they are usually quiet and you can get a lot done

 

[Chaitali]

That's a good point. The flight isn't long but we will have to get up early that morning. We can definitely cut out things like the Astro Orbiter if we're feeling tired. Also, we can skip Downtown Disney in the evening if we're tired and just hang out at the resort. After all, we'll have to be ready for a busy week of getting up early for Rope Drop!

 

[Chaitali]

Well, this trip in May will be my first trip to Disney World in 15 years or so. And now, it looks like I will be planning a second Disney World trip this year! My husband got a new job (yay!) but that means he won't have that many vacation days left (boo). So we're going to have to postpone our Fall trip to the U.K.

However, I still have my saved up vacation days. So my brother and I started talking about doing a trip together. For various reasons, we've decided on Disney World He hasn't been in 15 years either so it will be new for him and I think we should be able to get some great sibling bonding in!

We haven't settled upon a date but I'm leaning toward the third week of October b/c the crowd calendar indicates the crowds will be low and it will be during the Food and Wine festival. The other option is during the third week of August because my cousin is taking my niece and nephew (ages 5 and 10) that weekend. It would be fun to see Disney World with the kids but it would cut into our time for more adult activities and it would be hot!

Either way, I think it would make sense to upgrade my 5 day park hopper tickets to an annual pass while I'm there in May since I will be spending another week there later this year. My understanding is that I can just go to guest services our first day at a park and upgrade to an annual pass by paying the difference between the cost of the pass and the price I paid for my ticket. Does anyone know if that's correct?

We're also going to do at least 1 tour or special experience. I'm thinking either the Keys to the Kingdom Tour, the Epcot Segway tour, the new trek at the Animal Kingdom, or MNSSHP. If anyone's done any of those, I would love to hear what you thought of it

 

[TanzUnited99]

It's a shame about the UK trip being postponed but yay on being able to plan another trip to Disney World!!

I've read on here that you can go to Guest Services on the first day of your trip and upgrade to Annual Passes - think I read that it is better to activate the tickets first but someone else may have more knowledge about doing this.

Not long to go until your first trip!

 

[Corrine 1973]

Just found the link to your PTR in another one, so I figured I would come over here to check it out.

Great PTR so far, I think the pics with your brother are very cute. I was at first very jealous that you were going to the UK (I will go one day) but than I felt sad that you had to postpone it. Hey at least you get to send some more time at Disney!!!!

I don't know anything about upgrading your ticket to a Pass, but I did have some info that I have read recently. If you get the season pass, you can also get the Tables in Wonderland card. I don't know a whole lot about it, but you might want to check it out because it gives you a percentage off of your dining at participating resturaunts.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[Chaitali]

It's a shame about the UK trip being postponed but yay on being able to plan another trip to Disney World!!

I've read on here that you can go to Guest Services on the first day of your trip and upgrade to Annual Passes - think I read that it is better to activate the tickets first but someone else may have more knowledge about doing this.

Not long to go until your first trip!

I know, I'm so excited! I'm waiting anxiously for the Mickey Mail as I think we should be receiving it within the next 2 weeks or so. Thanks for the advice about activating the ticket before upgrading. I did some research and I think you're right about that. I'll probably enter the Magic Kingdom and do it at guest services so that way the ticket will be activated.

 

[Chaitali]

Just found the link to your PTR in another one, so I figured I would come over here to check it out.

Great PTR so far, I think the pics with your brother are very cute. I was at first very jealous that you were going to the UK (I will go one day) but than I felt sad that you had to postpone it. Hey at least you get to send some more time at Disney!!!!

I don't know anything about upgrading your ticket to a Pass, but I did have some info that I have read recently. If you get the season pass, you can also get the Tables in Wonderland card. I don't know a whole lot about it, but you might want to check it out because it gives you a percentage off of your dining at participating resturaunts.

Can't wait to read more.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the advice on the TIW card I definitely think it will work out well for us. People say that you have to spend at least $350 or so to break even with the card. Well, we're eating at Victoria and Albert's so that's probably around $300 right there! Add in California Grill and Jiko and I'm sure the card will be worth it for us.

 

[Chaitali]

It was a beautiful day here today! We decided to take advantage of it and we walked to Barnes and Noble for browsing and a snack. In total we walked around three miles. After all, we have to train for Disney World! We only have 5 weeks or so left to go

I started talking to my brother today about our October trip. It's complicated starting to plan a second trip before I've even gone on the first trip to Disney. I'd love to stay at one of the Epcot area resorts but I'm not sure if it's in our budget. We'll probably wait a bit longer to see if some discounts for October come out. Though I'm not sure how quickly those rooms get booked up since it's Food and Wine time. My family is advocating for off site (it seems like my parents might also join us for part of the week). I know we'll have more space off site, but I'm not sure if it will feel as Disney. Maybe the Swan and Dolphin as a compromise?

And because it's been a while since I've put up a photo, I figure I'll put up photos of the traveling party for the October trip

Here's a recent one of my brother.


IMG_0495_edited-1 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

And one of my parents.


IMG_0766 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

 

[TanzUnited99]

Good luck with the training for Disney World - think I need to start upping my exercise level lol!

Thanks for sharing photos of your family - am sure you will have a great trip no matter where you decide to stay. Swan and Dolphin sounds like a good compromise