My 1st PTR (& maybe a weight loss story thrown in)-BC: May 2011-5/17-We outta here!

[matkensgirl2000]

Don't forget the deodorant!

Haha!! That is the most important thing. I'd rather not have a hairbrush than no deodorant at WDW.

I love the ziploc system too. My Bigs' clothes are on the threshold of being almost too big to fit in baggies anymore, but I think we can manage one more year.

 

[matkensgirl2000]

We leave in 29 days!!

A few updates on our trip:
DH and I once again seriously considered flying to Orlando and renting a car for the ride home. Rental car companies are begging people to drive their cars one way out of FL. You can do it for as low as $5 a day. But we still couldn't justify the price difference for the time saved. Our closest airport is 1 hour the other way from FL so between that and time at the airport, we would've saved about 5 hours, not worth the $500 (one way flying!!) price difference, even with gas at $4/gal.

But we did manage to plan something to make the ride home less terrible. Since DH has the Tuesday after our last Disney day off, we have a little play time. It just so happens that my aunt is renting a beach house in Seaside, FL (near Destin and a 4.5 hour drive from our house) the week we are coming home from WDW. So we are going to leave whenever we feel like it on Monday, May 23 and drive to Seaside, crash there for the night and maybe relax a little at the beach and then head home on the Tuesday evening. I definitely won't mind splitting up that mind-numbingly boring drive home.

Note to self: Must buy Little Swimmers for my un-potty-trained Wee-man and disposable cameras for the bigs.

Oh, oh!!! My Disney Mail came in Friday. What a way to make my day skippy!! It had the luggage tags...they look way different from the last couple of years that I saw. The last few tags were pictures of the castle; these are lenticular pictures of Mickey. Do you guys want to see pics? I will take some pics, even if I have to use the sorry camera setting on my camcorder. Those pics are disgraceful. I still need a camera!!!!!!!!!!! I also got the little brochure saying Welcome Back, etc. and telling me about my package. That came in on Saturday.

By the way, here's a question: When you get the little booklet with all your vouchers on it, most of them have expiration dates. However, I noticed on my booklet from last year that the Arcade points voucher did not have a date on it. I wonder if I could use the one from last year and put it together from this year's so we can have 200 Arcade pts?

So far, these rides will not be open during our trip: Enchanted Tiki Room (I've never seen this one and I SO wanted to see it this time), Liberty Belle (another I've not seen), Primeval Whirl (whew! I wouldn't have ridden it anyway) and Star Tours, though that's supposed to open during our trip.

This is what I'm planning on packing for our park bags:
DS has a red fanny pack and DD has a hipster so for each of them:Disposable camera
Small snack
Fan
Small water bottle
Sunglasses

And here's where I'm getting crazy--though I completely envy all the folks who can bypass the bag check, I can't do that with a kid still in diapers--I'm only packing one more bag. It will have:
Sippy cup
Diapers/wipes/rash cream
Disposable changing pad
Bib
Snacks for DH, me and Wee
Small first aid kit (bandages and tylenol and moleskin)
Water bottles
Ponchos
Wrist tether for Wee in case he wants to walk a little
Sunglasses for DH, me and Wee
Fans
Entertainment--bubbles and glow wands
Travel size sunscreen
Camera/extra batteries

Additionally, DH will hang on to cash and KTTW cards. All 3 kids will have necklaces made from our unused luggage tags with all of our info on it in case they get lost. DH and I will also have our own cell phones.

I also will have a swim bag so I can just grab when we go to the pool. This worked great for the times we went to BB. It won't be as necessary since we'll be at our hotel pool, but it will be nice not to have to rummage in the regular suitcases everytime we want to swim. It will have:

Swimsuits
Arm-band floaties
Swim shoes
Noodles
Sand toys
Beach towels
Water proof sunscreen
Water-proof disposable camers
Little Swimmers for Wee

Once again, let me know if I forgot anything. I forgot to put deodorant on my toiletries list in the last post and believe me, the need for deodorant in WDW is so great that it warrants its own special clinical strength deodorant!!!

TP has my days at 2, 4, 5, 5, 6 and 6 still. I am really looking forward to the 2 day!!
Be back soon!

 

[Sawhiskey]

"By the way, here's a question: When you get the little booklet with all your vouchers on it, most of them have expiration dates. However, I noticed on my booklet from last year that the Arcade points voucher did not have a date on it. I wonder if I could use the one from last year and put it together from this year's so we can have 200 Arcade pts?"

I was wondering the same thing and I plan to do the same with my vouchers, if I find any info Ill share it with you. Have a great trip though!!

 

[matkensgirl2000]

"By the way, here's a question: When you get the little booklet with all your vouchers on it, most of them have expiration dates. However, I noticed on my booklet from last year that the Arcade points voucher did not have a date on it. I wonder if I could use the one from last year and put it together from this year's so we can have 200 Arcade pts?"

I was wondering the same thing and I plan to do the same with my vouchers, if I find any info Ill share it with you. Have a great trip though!!

Thank you, Sawhiskey! I was wondering if I was the only one who noticed that. 200 arcade pts goes a much longer way with 2 kids, I'm sure. I wonder how much a pt. gets you?

 

[matkensgirl2000]

Wow!! Disney has done some major fiddling with my park hours. I have never had them change my park hours by that much. Here are my original park hours with the latest changes beside them in red.

May 18 (Wednesday)
ADR- Hoop De Doo 7:15
Epcot 9-9
DHS 9-6 EMH 8-9 am 9-10 pm Fantasmic, 9 & 10:30
AK 9-6
MK 9-9

May 19 (Thursday)
ADR- Boma 8:30 pm
Epcot 9-9
DHS 9-7
AK 9-6
MK 9-11 EMH 8-9 am MSEP 9pm

May 20 (Friday)
ADR-Tusker House 8:15 am Garden View Tea Room 2:20 pm
Epcot 9-9 EMH 9-12 am
DHS 9-9 (Fantasmic!) 8am-12 am F! 9 & 10:30pm
AK 9-6
MK 9-9

May 21 (Saturday)
ADR-Kouzzina 8 pm Tutto Italia 5:20 pm
Epcot 9-9
DHS 9-8 8-12 am F! 9 and 10:30 pm
AK 9-7 EMH 8-9 am
MK 9-11 MSEP 9pm

May 22 (Sunday)
ADR-Crystal Palace 8:15
Epcot 9-9
DHS 9-9 (Fantasmic!) 8-12 am F! 9 and 10:30 pm
AK 9-7 EMH 8-9 am 8-8pm No EMH
MK 9-11 EMH 11-2 am MSEP 9pm

May 23 (Monday)
No ADRs
Epcot 9-9
DHS 9-7 EMH 7-10 pm 9-10pm EMH 10-1am
AK 9-7 EMH 8-9 am
MK 9-11 MSEP 9pm

Just me guessing, but extended DHS hours + all the extra Fantasmic showings might mean a busy DHS during Star Wars weekends I'm going to have to do some major overhauling of our daily plans.

On the bright side, all the extra Fantasmic showings will make it easier for us to catch it. My kids are pretty adept at staying up late. I'm assuming the 2nd showing will be much less crowded than the first (has anyone found this to be true?). We can hit DHS in the evening and ride a bunch of rides while the first F! is showing then go to the 2nd one. How does that sound? I LOVE DHS at night!!

 

[Sawhiskey]

Thank you, Sawhiskey! I was wondering if I was the only one who noticed that. 200 arcade pts goes a much longer way with 2 kids, I'm sure. I wonder how much a pt. gets you?

I read on another thread someone said they used their arcade points three months after their vacation so hopefully we will be fine. It has been awhile since Ive used the arcade points so I cant remember how much they are worth.

 

[matkensgirl2000]

Disney has changed my hours once again!! This time they expanded the MK hours and added some additional MSEP times. Being the crowd hater that I am, I am quite worried. I hope as long as I stay away from DHS on the weekend, I'll be alright. TP still has us listed as 2,4,5,5,6 and 6.

I also FINALLY got an email from IPO requesting our arrival time and the names of those in our party. It made me feel so special-like

Due to the changes in the park hours, I'm having to rework my itinerary. So far, I've gotten through Thursday, so I thought I'd sure what I did.

I did it a little differently this time. First, I set each day into 5 3-hour blocks, 8-11, 11-2, 2-5, 5-8 and 8pm-11pm. This helped me make sure that each park was getting the amount of time we wanted. I feel like 3 hours is plenty of time to do anything...not that you can do a whole park in 3 hours, but you CAN get a lot done. I was having such a hard time with my itinerary this time, so I sat down and set some goals/priorities for our time in Disney.

Goals:
At least one afternoon or mid-morning at SAB
At least one evening to spend at the BC, exploring the Boardwalk or catching the outdoor movie.
Approximately 1.5 "days" in MK
Approximately 1.5 "days" in Epcot
Approximately 1 "day" in DHS
Approximately 1 "day" in AK

The reason I am calling them "days" is because we won't spend an actual full day in any park. I am considering 1 day to be equal to 4 3-hour blocks.

My Tuesday itinerary will remain the same.

Wednesday, May 18Check in by 7:30 am, have breakfast in Club Level Lounge, be in Epcot by 8:45 for 9 am rope drop. Stay in Epcot 'til lunch or until room is ready (lunch at Sunshine Seasons (yum!) or in WS) When room is ready, check out hotel, drive to DHS around 2. Snack around 3:30. Head out of park around 6 and to Fort Wilderness for Hoop-de-doo ADRs at 7:15. If we get there too early. we'll explore FW. We should be back at Hotel around 9, time to check out hotel/Boardwalk or head to bed early.

Thursday, May 19Leave hotel by 7:15 am (breakfast in CL Lounge) for MK EMH at 8.
MK 8-1, lunch around 11 at Tortuga Tavern or Pecos Bill
1-3 relax at hotel, have snacks in lounge
Drive to DHS
3-7:45 DHS, leave for 8:30 ressies at Boma by 7:45 (drive)
After Boma, check out AKL then return to BC

Once I get the next days worked out, I'll post the rest of my itinerary.

 

[pinkxray]

Ugh, more time changes? I knew they would change them the first time to accomate the bigger crowds for SWW but why again. I really hope it isn't too busy during the week.

 

[matkensgirl2000]

Ugh, more time changes? I knew they would change them the first time to accomate the bigger crowds for SWW but why again. I really hope it isn't too busy during the week.

I know!! I'm really getting a little sick about it, but hopefully it will stay in DHS only. Maybe we could use it to our advantage...I'm hoping all the people waiting for ST2 will give us a shorter wait for TSM. Yay!! Our trips are getting so close!

 

[matkensgirl2000]

Friday, May 20

We have an ADR for Tusker House character breakfast in AK for 8:15. We should leave BC by 7:15 a.m. to drive to AK, park and walk to the restaurant. I'm guessing we'll be there until 9:30 or so (AK opens at 9). Spend the morning at AK until about 11:30 or 12. Then we'll head to the hotel and freshen up (maybe take a dip in SAB) and then drive to MK for our 2:20 tea (leave BC by 1:30--the parking at GF is horrendous) at Grand Floridian. DH and Wee have the option of staying at the hotel for a nap. After a nice, slow-paced tea, we'll head back to the hotel and then to Epcot to spend the evening. We may stay at EP until Illuminations or we may head back early to catch the campfire and movie at BC then go to EP for their evening EMH (9-12). We'll play this one by ear.

Saturday, May 21

We want to hit AK EMH at 8. We'll be up in time to hit the CL at 7 for an on-the-run breakfast and be at AK early enough for opening. We'll spend the day re-riding our faves or exploring what we haven't done. There are several parts of AK I've never even set foot in! We'll have lunch at Flame Tree or somewhere in AK and then head to the hotel for rest/swim. By about 3, we'll leave for Epcot and hang out in WS until our 5:20 ADR at Tutto Italia. We'll stay at EP until Illuminations then go to DHS, which doesn't close 'til 12. We should be in time to make the 2nd showing of Fantasmic. If we get there early enough (while the 1st F! is still showing) we'll take advantage of the lower crowds and hit some rides. After DHS closes, we'll go back to the hotel for bedtime. Sunday is a sleep-late morning!

 

[matkensgirl2000]

Program note:

I changed my Saturday 5:20 ADR at Tutto Italia to a 4:30 ADR at Via Napoli. I just kept obsessing over the menus and ultimately decided that VN would satisfy all of this. I actually made my TI ADR on the strength of the gnocchi dish, but none of the recent menus include this for dinner. However, there were several things on the Via Napoli menu that interested me, pizza notwithstanding.

This is my THIRD ADR for Saturday (Kouzzina, Tutto, now Via Napoli). I don't have this problem with buffets...only when we order off the menu. I need to be seen by a professional

Hey, I'll be headed to WDW in fifteen days. Raise your hand if you're jealous.

 

[matkensgirl2000]

Oh my! 12 days from now, we will be more than halfway to Disney. I have most of the kids' clothes packed (except for socks and I need to wash their tennis shoes) and I'm getting the stuff cleaned out from our vehicle...even though I won't be giving it a good scrub until later next week. I have pretty much finished most of our shopping, except I haven't bought a camera still. I may just use the same one I used last time (my mom's) and by a new memory card.

I still need to label our electronics in case they get lost. I put our dates, last name and hotel on them so they can be easily returned. I just print out a bunch of address labels with that info on them and stick 'em on there (DS, camera, camcorder, etc).

Ok, let me share my itinerary for the last two days.

Sunday, May 22
This is our potential sleep-late day. We will be a little lazy then head to EP for late morning and lunch (thinking about Tangierine Cafe or Mexican) then head back to the hotel for an afternoon at SAB. We will spend the evening at MK where we have ADRs at Crystal Palace for 8:15 pm. We will stay late that evening for the 11 pm MSEP and possibly stay a little while for the EMH.

Monday, May 23--Last day
We will check out by 8, leaving our luggage with bell services then take the boat or walk to DHS for Rope Drop at 9. We will try to hit as much as we can and then head to MK to spend the rest of the day. We will decide how late we will stay...whether we want get an early start to stop in Destin or stay late at Disney depending on how tired we are.

So there we go!! I have SO much to do. I'm hoping the time goes by quickly!

 

[matkensgirl2000]

Some last minute details:

Today, I have been on the Disney ball!! I pre-ordered my photopass CD. I booked our "first-night" hotel (Lake Buena Vista Resort and Spa). We stayed there last year and were pleased. We weren't able to get there early enough to enjoy any of the amenities and we definitely won't this year either. But after getting there so late, it will be nice to crash into separate bedrooms (we got a condo) for a good night's sleep after that l.o.n.g. drive.

DH got the oil changed and the tires rotated and got the brakes checked. We are running our gas down so we can use our Fuelperks discount for our first fill-up. We're getting around 75 cents per gallon off and since it's one-time use, we want to make sure we have 20 gallons to fill!!

I have packed all the kids' clothes, the park first aid and the hotel first aid bags and am working on our park bags. I also am getting an appointment to get my hair cut and colored. I have thick hair and if I keep it in a ponytail all day, I WILL get a headache.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies out there. I hope you don't have to do any cooking. For my part, I'll be happy if I don't have to change any poop diapers!!

 

[matkensgirl2000]

I'm about to take a shower then we are headed out the door. I am not looking forward to the drive, especially with a lovely sour stomach. Everything is packed and ready to go, but please send me some pixie dust to get rid of this tummy ache. I can't shake it!

Thank you so much for reading my PTR and I hope to post a nice TR when I get home.

Love to the DIS!!

 

[matkensgirl2000]

My TR is finally in progress!!

Here's the link:

The Best Laid Schemes