Never say never...New Year New Plan **a NYE 2018/2019 PTR** Updated 12/26

[xlsm]

Day 5 sounds great!

I hope you get the snow that you want! Just don't send any of it my way! haha

Now they've taken even more of our snow chance away It's just going to be rain and icy sleety stuff - yuck! I promise not to send any of that your way, LOL!! NO one wants any of that!!

 

[MeghanEmily]

All four of us are verrrrry excited about Shula's.

I hope you love Shula's! It was definitely a highlight for us.

I know several of you live up north and probably think I'm nuts for wanting to see snow, but I really just want one good day where it looks pretty...

Yep, does sound nuts to me! But if we almost never got any significant snowfall, I'm sure I'd feel the same way.

...and then goes away because NO ONE here knows how to drive on it.

You'd think it would be different up here, but somehow every single year when we get our very first snowfall, it's like everyone completely forgets how to drive in the snow, and there are dozens of cars off the road! Then people are kinda like, "ohhhh yeahhh! I remember snow!" And after that people start driving for the conditions again.

 

[petals]

We're doing breakfast with Pooh bear our first morning there. I already booked a taxi to get us there on time and a lady did a swap with me and made me sparkly eeyore mouse ears in exchange for disney curtain material I had so I can't wait to see if they play up to the mouse ears Never been for breakfast there we did do lunch last time we were there and loved it.

 

[xlsm]

I hope you love Shula's! It was definitely a highlight for us.



Yep, does sound nuts to me! But if we almost never got any significant snowfall, I'm sure I'd feel the same way.



You'd think it would be different up here, but somehow every single year when we get our very first snowfall, it's like everyone completely forgets how to drive in the snow, and there are dozens of cars off the road! Then people are kinda like, "ohhhh yeahhh! I remember snow!" And after that people start driving for the conditions again.

I'm really hoping we do, too!! With my guys, steak is always a winner, so I think my bigger hope is that we'll be able to roll ourselves out of there in time for Illuminations, LOL!!

Well, my snow wishes were all for nothing - literally nothing, we didn't even end up with rain. It all ended up south. We started the week with a forecast of 3-6inches, then 2 - 4, then 1-2, then "a trace"...Five years ago 4 or 5 inches got school cancelled for a week

We're doing breakfast with Pooh bear our first morning there. I already booked a taxi to get us there on time and a lady did a swap with me and made me sparkly eeyore mouse ears in exchange for disney curtain material I had so I can't wait to see if they play up to the mouse ears Never been for breakfast there we did do lunch last time we were there and loved it.

Aww, I hope you love the breakfast!! Eeyore will love your ears, he likes getting attention, even if he still acts like a gloomy gus, lol!!

 

[suse66]

Just read your entire PTR and am loving your plans! You are going to have the best time!!!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Love your Christmas decorations, very nice!

Plans sound great so far, I think it is a good idea to stay clear of parks NYE and your dinner plans sound perfect. You can walk between the GF and Poly and watch fireworks right from there!

I am the opposite, living up North, I look out the window and pray not to see snowflakes, lol! I feel for you all in the south. I can’t believe how people just abandon their vehicles on the road, yikes! NC really got hit from what I saw on the news! We don’t stand still here unless we get over 20” of snow at one time, lol! So far we are having a more mild December with very little snowfall and ILOVEIT!!

 

[xlsm]

Good morning!!

Our countdown is at 18 days!!

Do you know we are only two weeks from Christmas???



Am I finished shopping yet?? I don't know! I did everything so early this year, and already have things wrapped...so I'm not even sure what I have for everyone!! I normally keep a very detailed list. I guess I was just so proud of myself for shopping early, I forgot the most important part. At some point today I need to dump out the boys' stockings and make sure I have things evened out. I just bought things and stuffed them in without keeping track. This is very unlike me!! It's chaos, I tell ya!!



Besides that, I've got the trip on my mind! You know the pig shirt from a few posts back? They just released two new ones...Galaxy Pig, which is filled with Star Wars stuff, and Magical Pig, filled with Harry Potter stuff. I wasn't planning to buy anything else, but...well, you can guess what happened with that. Hopefully they'll be arriving tomorrow!

A week or so ago, I also ordered a dress...I wanted the Tangled lantern skirt from Hot Topic, but it was sold out, so I found it in dress form at Torrid. I ordered the smallest size from there so hopefully it will fit. I will probably be wearing a sweater over it, and tights under it, most likely when we go to the Happily Ever After dessert party. It shipped yesterday, so another thing to look forward to.

We have several nice dinners planned, so I need to make sure the boys have something passable to wear - they're not much into dressing up, but hopefully they still have at least one nice-ish shirt each Or maybe we'll roll up to Citricos with X wearing his best pair of joggers, flip flops, and a tee shirt.

Just kidding - I will not let him wear that to Citricos!! But I'll guarantee you that will be his outfit of choice for most park days!!

I think we're at the next to last day of our trip as far as daily plans go...so here is...

Chapter Six: What are we? Animals??

Does that title give away where we're going on this park day?



We're heading to Animal Kingdom!

DH and I plan to get their really early and rope drop Na'vi River Journey...will we actually do that? I have no idea!

This is another day we told the boys they can sleep in and join us later, they just have to be there in time for something really cool...

We have a safari fast pass from 910 - 1010, to give us all some wiggle room. If DH and I are there early, we'll probably ride this without them, but the pass is there for round two!

The boys HAVE to be in the park by 10:30am at the very, very latest. Why??

We check in for our first ever Disney tour at 10:45! We are going to learn all about rhinos!!

Guys! I might get to PET A RHINOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

That's a dream come true! I'm disappointed that there are no pictures allowed since it's all backstage, and there isn't even a photopass there like there is for Wild Africa Trek, but I'm incredibly excited to do this.

Our other passes aren't until later. Sometime around 1:30ish for Flight of Passage, and one for Everest from 350 - 450.

Yep, we're staying the whole day at the park! We have Yak and Yeti booked for dinner.

Other things I hope to accomplish on this day:

Meet Chip and Dale in their dino costumes!!
Meet Scrooge and Launchpad in Dinoland
The Up bird show
Festival of the Lion King (my favorite!)
Actually stop and watch more of the performers
It's Tough to be a Bug (I weirdly enjoy this)
Ride Dinosaur
Snacks at Nomad Lounge or Satu'li Canteen

As long as I see Pandora after dark FINALLY, I will be satisfied with this day.

Ok, there's our plan for Animal Kingdom!

Tonight or tomorrow I'll do our final park day and departure day - then move on to countdown posts...mostly to keep me sane as I wait for Christmas and for the trip to actually get started!!

 

[karalecia26]

Loving your PTR! We are going to Universal for a few days before we hope over to Disney on New Years Eve, so I am in the planning stages right now too. Multiple trips to Disney so we know that we are going at an insane time, but who cares! Bonus trip for us too, so if we don't get much done this trip thats okay. There is always next time! We are staying at CBR, but I would love to be able to do the Poly some time. Have fun doing your count down!

 

[Smilelea]

Besides that, I've got the trip on my mind! You know the pig shirt from a few posts back? They just released two new ones...Galaxy Pig, which is filled with Star Wars stuff, and Magical Pig, filled with Harry Potter stuff. I wasn't planning to buy anything else, but...well, you can guess what happened with that. Hopefully they'll be

Ooooohhhhh! I want to see the Harry Potter one!!!

As long as I see Pandora after dark FINALLY, I will be satisfied with this day.

This is on our to-do list for January. We've been 3 times since it opened and still haven't seen it at night.

Sounds like some fun plans! We want to do the new rhino tour too, one day.

 

[xlsm]

Just read your entire PTR and am loving your plans! You are going to have the best time!!!!

Yay! Welcome aboard!! I've noticed as the years have gone by, I enjoy writing PTRs less and less...but it's easier as the trip gets closer b/c my excitement level amps up!! I'm already thinking about the TR, and wondering what's going to happen on our trip Definitely putting the cart before the horse, lol

Love your Christmas decorations, very nice!

Plans sound great so far, I think it is a good idea to stay clear of parks NYE and your dinner plans sound perfect. You can walk between the GF and Poly and watch fireworks right from there!

I am the opposite, living up North, I look out the window and pray not to see snowflakes, lol! I feel for you all in the south. I can’t believe how people just abandon their vehicles on the road, yikes! NC really got hit from what I saw on the news! We don’t stand still here unless we get over 20” of snow at one time, lol! So far we are having a more mild December with very little snowfall and ILOVEIT!!

Christmas is my favorite - I just love the cozy glow from all the lights. I have some kind of seasonal decorations up starting in September, so I always feel like my house is empty and blah when January rolls around and I put everything back to "normal"

I hope it ends up being a fun NYE. After how hectic it was last year, getting stuck on that bus then dealing with the crowds - I have no desire to repeat that!! There is a teeny tiny part of me that kind of wants to pop over to the MK just to say we did, but I know this is one night I need to take it easy.

Aw, I'm sure getting snow more frequently would be such a chore!! I'm realistic about that, but still glamorize it a little, lol! DH was being pretty aggressively recruited by a company based near Madison, WI at one point last year, and I got super pumped about it until I started thinking about the realities of winter there. X vetoed moving away from his friends, and we stopped considering it. (terrible time to make that kind of move, right before high school with no established friends)

Loving your PTR! We are going to Universal for a few days before we hope over to Disney on New Years Eve, so I am in the planning stages right now too. Multiple trips to Disney so we know that we are going at an insane time, but who cares! Bonus trip for us too, so if we don't get much done this trip thats okay. There is always next time! We are staying at CBR, but I would love to be able to do the Poly some time. Have fun doing your count down!

You're brave, and have a good attitude about the craziness!! I tried to be cool about it last year, but I think I failed, LOL!! As you can see, I'm not going to be in a park very long on NYE (although, like I told DisneyAndi, part of me wants to visit MK that evening. So maybe I'm not as anti-insanity as I say I am

Ooooohhhhh! I want to see the Harry Potter one!!!



This is on our to-do list for January. We've been 3 times since it opened and still haven't seen it at night.

Sounds like some fun plans! We want to do the new rhino tour too, one day.

Here is the stock photo for the HP one:



I may wear it on travel days since we're not going to Universal. I think it's cute! I'll post the picture of it in person when it arrives. The shop is only about 20 miles away, but it's in a busy college area so I just order online. Yes, I am that lazy!!

Same for me with Pandora!! It's the whole reason I made a dinner ADR in Animal Kingdom - I knew Yak and Yeti would be a must do for DH and the kids, so it's the perfect excuse for sticking around. Thank goodness it gets dark early this time of year!!

We'd been considering a summer trip to Colorado, and they have a similar rhino experience at the Denver Zoo that I wanted to book...can you believe it's cheaper at Disney?? I was excited to see I could combine my obsession with Animal Kingdom with my rhino obsession

 

[Raeven]

Am I finished shopping yet?? I don't know! I did everything so early this year, and already have things wrapped...so I'm not even sure what I have for everyone!! I normally keep a very detailed list. I guess I was just so proud of myself for shopping early, I forgot the most important part. At some point today I need to dump out the boys' stockings and make sure I have things evened out. I just bought things and stuffed them in without keeping track. This is very unlike me!! It's chaos, I tell ya!!

I didn't even start shopping yet and half this month disappeared while we were on vacation

Guys! I might get to PET A RHINOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

That's a dream come true! I'm disappointed that there are no pictures allowed since it's all backstage, and there isn't even a photopass there like there is for Wild Africa Trek, but I'm incredibly excited to do this.

While I was researching places to go in Florida and on our following trips, and things to do. I actually came across a lot of different "meet a rhino" opportunities at zoos and such. Every time I did I thought of you

We'd been considering a summer trip to Colorado, and they have a similar rhino experience at the Denver Zoo that I wanted to book...can you believe it's cheaper at Disney?? I was excited to see I could combine my obsession with Animal Kingdom with my rhino obsession

Yay you did find another one! I hope that one allows pictures. I want to see you happily hanging out with the rhinos

 

[missangelalexis]

I appreciate all the Home Alone gifs in this post

Your day at AK sounds great! The tour should be cool! And Pandora after dark is just so pretty!

 

[Smilelea]

Here is the stock photo for the HP one:

Cute!!!

can you believe it's cheaper at Disney?? I was excited to see I could combine my obsession with Animal Kingdom with my rhino obsession

Wow! Nothing is cheaper than Disney

 

[xlsm]

RED ALERT!! RED ALERT!!

(or hot pink alert, I guess, lol!!)

Super major crazy news!!

We're getting a VIP tour for one of our days!!

DH is out of town this week for work, going to the executive holiday party and meetings and stuff, and the owner of his company is a huge Disney fan and a Club 33 member...he GAVE US A PLAID FOR A DAY!!!

We were going to use it for New Year's Eve, but they were all booked (I guess there are some things even Club 33 members can't get at the last minute ), so we're using our VIP guide on New Year's Day.

This is very exciting but also very stressful, because I had everything super planned out, and we will have to make some changes.

Right now, my very tentative plan is to scrap our original New Year's Day plans completely - cancel our Epcot morning, cancel our Happily Ever After Dessert Party - sleep in, relax during the morning, and just use our guide to do the Magic Kingdom and watch Happily Ever After from the VIP viewing area. They keep saying we have our guide "all day", but we don't know if that's just the standard 7 hours, or literally all day. I'll know when they call me to set everything up tomorrow or Saturday (they just said they'd call or email within 48 hours, and it was just arranged this morning).

Since we're planning to use the VIP seating for HEA, and I'm cancelling that dessert party (I only booked it so I could finally get a decent view of the projections - after multiple trips I have struck out every time), I have now booked the Frozen Ever After dessert party for Illuminations on 1/2. I'm excited about this b/c it's a totally new dessert party for us, and now that I'm changing new year's day, I'll be losing my Frozen fast pass.

Right now I am torn between, "Oh awesome, we get to be VIPs for a day....FOR FREE!!" and "This ruins everything I had planned!!!!!!!!"

Oh, and yes, the kids and I totally re-watched the Black-ish Disney episode where they have the tour guide




Part of me feels like I should use the opportunity to do the Four Parks in One Day thing, and ride headliners in each...I just don't know what to do! It's overwhelming!! Not that it isn't a really cool problem to have - trust me, I realize that!!

I'll come back with a regular update tomorrow, but I had to share my excitement and fear!!

 

[Smilelea]

So many emotions and I'm just reading about it! DH and I have read about those tours and just laugh about the lack of chances we'd ever get to do one.

They sound amazing! I can't wait to read all about yours!

 

[missangelalexis]

Woah!! That is so exciting!! I know it's hard to throw your plans out the window, but this is totally worth it!!

 

[xlsm]

I didn't even start shopping yet and half this month disappeared while we were on vacation



While I was researching places to go in Florida and on our following trips, and things to do. I actually came across a lot of different "meet a rhino" opportunities at zoos and such. Every time I did I thought of you



Yay you did find another one! I hope that one allows pictures. I want to see you happily hanging out with the rhinos

I have stuff for you I haven't even put in a box yet, so I guess I'm not totally finished, LOL!! You'll get it eventually, hopefully I'll make it to the post office next week!!

Does this officially make me Rhino Lady? I mean, it's better than crazy cat lady, right?? (or in my case crazy dog lady )

I appreciate all the Home Alone gifs in this post

Your day at AK sounds great! The tour should be cool! And Pandora after dark is just so pretty!

I love Home Alone Even now as an adult I think his family was really mean to him!!

I'm so, so, SO excited to see Pandora in the dark!!

Cute!!!



Wow! Nothing is cheaper than Disney

The shirts are here and they are cute! The color of the HP one is not all that flattering, but I'm just dealing with it, LOL!!

So many emotions and I'm just reading about it! DH and I have read about those tours and just laugh about the lack of chances we'd ever get to do one.

They sound amazing! I can't wait to read all about yours!

I really thought I'd be more calm about it this morning, but that is not the case. It's almost like I can't process it. I'm really glad the company owner likes DH, that's for sure!!

My main hope is that when the day comes, I let myself enjoy it instead of just worrying about everything I'd planned originally that we're now NOT doing.

Woah!! That is so exciting!! I know it's hard to throw your plans out the window, but this is totally worth it!!

This is the ultimate test to see how much of a control freak I really am. I wish they'd hurry up and call, the anticipation is making me crazy!! (but I'm also so excited!)

 

[xlsm]

Another day another update!

My pig shirts came yesterday:





Wow! Those are big, sorry!!

The Star Wars one is the current frontrunner for New Year's Eve at Hollywood Studios.

My Tangled dress should arrive today.

We haven't heard from Disney yet about setting up our Plaid day. It's barely been 24 hours so I should probably relax about it I've decided not to get crazy and cancel anything until I have spoken to them and have things planned out.

So let's just pretend nothing has changed (easier said than done over here!!) and talk about our last days...

Chapter Seven: Finding a good way to say goodbye

Our last park day is going to be a day split between the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

We'll start the morning at MK, and without fast passes. I don't actually have any real plans for this day! We'll just go wherever the wind takes us, I guess! I do now have a Touring Plans alert set for an 8am Crystal Palace breakfast since we'll be cancelling ours for 1/2 (that day is going to be a victim of the park day rearranging that will happen with the tour guide day.)

I know we'll want to do Pirates and Haunted Mansion. No such thing as too much of either of those in our opinion!

Our evening is more planned out!! We're going to Hollywood Studios to see all the nighttime holiday stuff I came to love so much last year.

We'll start things off with Tower of Terror and Star Tours FPs, followed by dinner at Sci Fi, and finishing things off with an after dark FP ride on Slinky Dog Dash!

I imagine we'll spend quite a bit of time enjoying Sunset Season's Greetings...and most likely with a hot cocoa flight for me and DH to share.

I wanted to make our last night as magical as possible, and Sunset Season's Greetings fits the bill for me, I just love it. (It's the snow!!)




The next day is our departure day

Our flight leaves after 5pm, so we'll have awhile that day to do a few things. We might take the time to go to Disney Springs. I made an 11:00am brunch reservation at Homecomin' a few minutes ago, because I think it will be a nice way to send us off! We might pick up some treats from The Ganachery to take home with us, too.

We'll get back to the Poly after our brunch and hang out for awhile making sure our devices are charged and prepare for the reality of going back home.

Our flight gets in late, so it will be close to midnight probably by the time we get home. It's a good thing we'll have two days off still before heading back to school on Tuesday.

That's all for now!! You know I'll have another big update once I get our day with the guide all planned out!!
Have an amazing weekend!!

 

[Raeven]

I have stuff for you I haven't even put in a box yet, so I guess I'm not totally finished, LOL!! You'll get it eventually, hopefully I'll make it to the post office next week!!

Lol, I still have to get yours! I haven't even started shopping yet, I came home and it was like half the month was already over

Does this officially make me Rhino Lady? I mean, it's better than crazy cat lady, right?? (or in my case crazy dog lady )

Imagine if you started filling your home with rhinos

We haven't heard from Disney yet about setting up our Plaid day. It's barely been 24 hours so I should probably relax about it I've decided not to get crazy and cancel anything until I have spoken to them and have things planned out.

Btw I just read your other post, and this sounds really cool! Even if it does mess with the plans a little.

11:00am brunch reservation at Homecomin' a few minutes ago, because I think it will be a nice way to send us off! We might pick up some treats from The Ganachery to take home with us, too.

Yum!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Holy cow!! You're getting a plaid!!! WOAH! That is some very exciting news! I'll also be interested to hear your Homecomin' brunch review. I wish we were going to be there on a Sunday so we could indulge in brunch! Nom.