MT and AZ take on WDW! – A September PTR

[oboedm]

Your nephew is so stinking cute!!!
I love the mail and things you are sending him, the autograph book is great- it will become a scrapbook once you add the pictures!
I think a sharpie will work great. But does the chisel tip write strange if it isn't held the right way? It might be tough for the characters to hold the marker right.

Hmmm, this might be fuzzy Disney math (like with me ordering the bride and groom ear thing), but I thought the pirates league was way more than $30... so it sounds reasonable to me... and the pictures look like a lot of fun!

The chisel tip is what I am worried about as well. Maybe I will cut it... or buy a retractable one.

It used to be $50, but All Ears says that they decreased the price in March. Yes, it kind of is fuzzy Disney math, to some extent.... $30 for something like this normally is too much, but at Disney, no problem!

Subbing!

I totally think $30 for the pirates league is worth it. I wanted to do it for DS, but he isn't 3 yet. Plus I know he wouldn't sit still long enough.

Your DH's story is CRAZY! I'd be so mad! That would mean lots of therapy later on in life!

Looking forward to more!

Thanks for your input! I think I am going to do it... you can just live through me for my TR and set things up for your next trip!

You're such a great Aunt! Love the Autograph book & t-shirts!!!

We used a retractable Sharpie for autographs. They are big & you don't have to worry about the cap.

That sounds perfect! I am going to pick one up this week!

 

[klacey1]

That was so sweet of you to send your nephew all that fun stuff!! I love the idea of a "Yo ho ho and a bottle of milk" t for your niece! Adorable!
When you compare the Pirate makeover price to the cost of the BBB appointments, it's a steal! I think $30 is way worth the memories for you and his parents-- plus, he may not remember it in ten years, but in the moment, he'll have a blast!

 

[annmarieda]

That was so sweet of you to send your nephew all that fun stuff!! I love the idea of a "Yo ho ho and a bottle of milk" t for your niece! Adorable!
When you compare the Pirate makeover price to the cost of the BBB appointments, it's a steal! I think $30 is way worth the memories for you and his parents-- plus, he may not remember it in ten years, but in the moment, he'll have a blast!

I agree, I have looked at doing the BBB for my daughter...the cost is just about crazy. if it were $30...I would jump on it.

 

[trickiwoo]

Oh wow! That is so cool what you've done for your nephew!!! Oh, he's going to have a great time at WDW!!!!

Hmmm... even if he doesn't remember the pirate thing forever... it would definitely make him really happy on the trip! And the adults would have the memory of it! Plus you could always share the pictures with him when he's older!

 

[oboedm]

That was so sweet of you to send your nephew all that fun stuff!! I love the idea of a "Yo ho ho and a bottle of milk" t for your niece! Adorable!
When you compare the Pirate makeover price to the cost of the BBB appointments, it's a steal! I think $30 is way worth the memories for you and his parents-- plus, he may not remember it in ten years, but in the moment, he'll have a blast!

Oh wow! That is so cool what you've done for your nephew!!! Oh, he's going to have a great time at WDW!!!!

Hmmm... even if he doesn't remember the pirate thing forever... it would definitely make him really happy on the trip! And the adults would have the memory of it! Plus you could always share the pictures with him when he's older!

I am going to book the appt tomorrow! This Facebook post from my SIL sealed the deal. Apparently pirates are his new thing! $30 is totally worth the price, even if it is mostly for our memories of his delight!
From SIL: I forgot to tell you in that email I just sent how insanely excited Hayden was about the Pirate ship ride at the fair today! He couldn't go on it, but he kept commenting on it all day and thought the pirate ride was soooo cool, and really wanted to go on the ship. Hopefully that enthusiasm will stay for when we get to the pirate parts of the park

 

[annmarieda]

I am going to book the appt tomorrow! This Facebook post from my SIL sealed the deal. Apparently pirates are his new thing! $30 is totally worth the price, even if it is mostly for our memories of his delight!
From SIL: I forgot to tell you in that email I just sent how insanely excited Hayden was about the Pirate ship ride at the fair today! He couldn't go on it, but he kept commenting on it all day and thought the pirate ride was soooo cool, and really wanted to go on the ship. Hopefully that enthusiasm will stay for when we get to the pirate parts of the park

He is one lucky nephew! I can't get over how nice it is that you are taking them all. I am happy to be taking my mother this next trip but some day I really would like to splurge on my neices... I think it would make it that much more special. Just have to wait until it is in the budget more.

 

[oboedm]

Chapter 10: What we are excited for!

Three weeks from this moment will be disembarking the plane in Orlando! WOOT!

In order to celebrate, I asked each adult what they were excited about. Here are their responses!

DH:

What are you excited to do for the first time this year?
I am really excited about BIL and SIL coming to hang out with us. I am also REALLY excited about POFQ!

What are you excited to do again?
I am really excited for Philharmagic, Tower of Terror, eating at Raglan Road again, and actually being able to enjoy Disney Hollywood Studios. (DH was sick last year, so we only spent half a day at DHS).

DH in front of Muppets Statue.

Which restaurants are you most excited for?
Oh, this is a hard one. I am really excited to eat at the Brown Derby or Ohana.

Which foods are you looking forward to?
Meat! Disney steaks and pork chops are making me salivate right now! I also want to try some of the desserts.

Yak and Yeti Fried Wonton Dessert.

+++++++++++

Paula:

What are you excited to do for the first time this year?
I am also excited for BIL and SIL to come with us, of course. I am excited to have Hayden with us as well. It is our first Disney trip with kids. I am also excited to have Hayden do the Pirates League! I just made an appt for our second day at MK!

Evan with characters, 2009

We are seeing Wishes for the first time as well. I am not big on fireworks, but SIL is really excited about them, and I’ve heard Wishes is great! I am especially excited for WWoHP and the Forbidden Journey ride. I hope that DH can ride, but I fear he is too big and will be “stuck” with the kids.

What are you excited to do again?
Toy Story Midway Mania, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain (closed last year), Pick a Pearl in Japan.

We both loved this ride! See how slow the park is-- the train is only 1/3 full!

Which restaurants are you most excited for?
Ohana, Jiko, Character meals with Hayden.

Me trying to touch Donald's butt. So cute!

Which foods are you looking forward to?
I am most looking forward to my “try one new thing every meal” plan. I look forward to the Mashed Potatoes at Yachtman and trying the Grapefruit Cake at Brown Derby.


+++++++++

BIL:

What park, rides or activities are you most excited about?
Actually I am most excited about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

What restaurants are you most excited about?
The Polynesian ones like Ohana.

Evan in the polynesian, 2009.

What are you most excited for when it comes to Hayden and/or Ginny?
Ginny....not much. She will have fun no matter what. Hayden I am excited to see him during the night shows.

What is Hayden most excited about, in your opinion?
I don't think he actually understands what is happening yet.


+++++++

SIL:

What park, rides or activities are you most excited about?
I am super excited about Harry Potter world- but for Disney, I'm excited for just any of the roller coasters and thrill rides! I've hardly been on anything like them in my life, so I'm excited to push myself

The most thrilling of all thrill rides, DUMBO!


What restaurants are you most excited about?
I'm not sure what restaurants I'm excited about... The inner child in me is just super excited for the character meals. I think the one I'm most looking forward to though is the one in Norway- forgot the name- too lazy to look it up.

Breakfast at Akershus, 2009.

What are you most excited for when it comes to Hayden and/or Ginny?
I'm excited for Hayden to see how brave he will be. We went to the state fair today and he got REALLY brave with the rides and had tons of fun! I'm also really excited to see how he will react to the characters.

Dinner at Cinderella Castle. Notice that he got the kid's dessert. This was the beginning of him not feeling well. The next day was the DHS disaster.

For ginny, I'm just excited to take some cute pictures of her first time ever that she'll never remember!

What is Hayden most excited about?
I just asked Hayden what he's most excited about, and he said riding rides, and he specifically asked about some types that the fair had today and asked if Disney World had those kind. So hopefully this ride excitement will keep up! (p.s. he was terrified of the animals and would not pet a single one, even though that is normally what he loves!)

Hayden will probably love this ride! He loves Buzz. I hated it because I didn't hear the instructions (the line wasn't long enough and we just walked on). I found some cheating strategies so I can't wait to blow DH out of the water with my newfound "skills"!

 

[Joyciemc]

What a fun post! I can't believe it's only 3 weeks away... almost there!

The grapefruit cake it the thing that keeps making me want to get a Brown Derby ADR. Actually, the first time I had it I didn't like it- but I tried it again and thought it was really yummy!

 

[annmarieda]

I love the update. So cool to have everyone list what they are looking forward to.

 

[oboedm]

What a fun post! I can't believe it's only 3 weeks away... almost there!

The grapefruit cake it the thing that keeps making me want to get a Brown Derby ADR. Actually, the first time I had it I didn't like it- but I tried it again and thought it was really yummy!

I love the update. So cool to have everyone list what they are looking forward to.

Thanks for you enthusiasm!

I will keep my mind open about the cake! I do love Grapefruit, but have heard that its a bit weird at first.

Also, I just realized that there is only two weeks and 6 days until I am free from my braces! I get them off on the 1st of September and we leave on the 3rd. Smooth teeth for WDW-- I will be able to eat the wings at Ohana without worrying about my brackets!

 

[onescgirl]

Liked looking at everyone's list!

 

[klacey1]

Awww, fun lists!! You guys are going to have a great time! I feel Disney does desserts best-- your DH will be in for lots of good treats. Ohana's bread pudding is my all-time favorite dessert-- a picture I took of it is the background on my laptop!
Disney with kids is going to be so fun-- can't wait to see all the pictures with excited looks on their faces!!

 

[stephielela]

I remember the day I got my braces off! It was the best day ever!

 

[onescgirl]

Here is the website that has the WDW maps that I used in my trip planner. Sorry it took me so long to post it!

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/maps/

 

[oboedm]

Sorry I have been absent so long! It has been a week, but I didn't allow myself to hop on because I had too much to do. I am back and will post another update tomorrow.

Liked looking at everyone's list!

Here is the website that has the WDW maps that I used in my trip planner. Sorry it took me so long to post it!

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/maps/

Thanks! I appreciate the maps-- these are going to be so great!

Awww, fun lists!! You guys are going to have a great time! I feel Disney does desserts best-- your DH will be in for lots of good treats. Ohana's bread pudding is my all-time favorite dessert-- a picture I took of it is the background on my laptop!
Disney with kids is going to be so fun-- can't wait to see all the pictures with excited looks on their faces!!

I am excited for the desserts as well... especially Ohana's bread pudding. I tried Raglan Road's last year, and while I liked the sauce, I thought it was a bit dry. I wanted to like it more than I did. I am excited that Ohana's has sauce and ice cream!

I remember the day I got my braces off! It was the best day ever!

I am getting really excited. Less than two weeks now! I can't wait to have smooth teeth again!

 

[hpfan100]

WOW you guys are going to have so much fun! I'm jealous that you are going to WWoHP. I could hang out there forever. I had such a blast there in June with the other million people who went for opening. Forbidden Journey is the best ride I've ever been on. I almost cried It was that good.

Love the flashbacks too. I wish I still had my flannels from back in the day. They were so comfy.

 

[oboedm]

I am finally back on the DIS! I had a really busy and exhausting week last week (more like week and a half)! The downside to that is (of course) extra work. The upside is that the week went by relatively fast and before I knew it, the trip was two weeks away!

I have been spending too much lately. I told myself two weeks ago I would stop, but it didn’t work. Here are the recent purchases for the trip.

New Phones: I bought them used online, but we are upgrading to smartphones. I figure that I can get the app for the WDW lines (from touringplans.com) and we can text when we get off a ride to meet up with the rest of the group.



Monopod: For videotaping the shows. A tripod was too cumbersome. This is perfect.

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Never Let Me Go: A new book to read (the movie comes out this fall).

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Book about photography: I want to take nice pictures with my Point and Shoot (even though its not fancy). This may help. Also, the more I know what I am doing, the more I can justify a camera upgrade when we have kids. This was recommended on a blog I read—she said that after reading this book the different settings and stuff made sense. SIL will have her big, fancy digital camera with her, so I can play around with that as well.

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New Shoes: I have gone through all my shirts and planned for each day. I have a pair of white shoes and dark brown shoes, but I needed some tan and black.

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Gorillapod: SIL has one of these, but I wanted one as well. I heard about them reading Chunkymonkey’s last trip report. She has also inspired me to take more pictures on the rides, especially of SIL’s family (because their faces are sure to be full of delight)!

Camelbak: 100oz with a couple of pockets for “stuff”. I am going to be carrying the video and still camera. This bag will hold hand sanitizer, my little journal book, a couple of ponchos if we are riding something wet that day, and the Gorillapod. Ginny (or Ginny’s stroller, rather) will carry the monopod.

DH will carry this full of water (SIL’s family has one too). I will carry the videocamera and camera.

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The only thing that I still need to get is a pair of jean shorts (I may just cut off a pair of jeans and hem them), millions of packages of Moleskin (which saved our lives last year) and some nice smelling hand sanitizer for our bags (Bath and Body Works).

Tomorrow we are 10 days out—and so many of you are closer than I am! I am going to try and post every day and half or so with touring plans for the parks and what I may choose at various meals! See you then!

 

[oboedm]

WOW you guys are going to have so much fun! I'm jealous that you are going to WWoHP. I could hang out there forever. I had such a blast there in June with the other million people who went for opening. Forbidden Journey is the best ride I've ever been on. I almost cried It was that good.

Love the flashbacks too. I wish I still had my flannels from back in the day. They were so comfy.

I am so glad that you had so much fun! I am looking forward to it so much... I hope there isn't a million people when I go and maybe I can catch Forbidden Journey twice!

 

[annmarieda]

I keep buying more stuff too. I keep trying to tell myself to stop...to just wait and buy something in the parks...but I keep buying anyway.

So you are going to do online check in? I am still debating on if I want to do it or not. You will have to post and say how you liked it.

 

[Joyciemc]

Thank you for this post- you just reminded me to add moleskin and our gorilla pod to the packing list. I'm sure I would've forgotten at least one of them!

Looking forward to seeing your plans!