NEWS FLASH: You must be 4YO to go to Disney! Oct '11 PTR, 10/24 WE'RE BACK! p 18

[jc040404]

How cute! I just noticed your PTR and the title caught my interest. Four years old for WDW?? I had to start reading! I'm up to the title explanation and I LOVE it! What a clever mommy! I love that you're planning to surprise him, too.

Subbing to catch up later & follow along!

 

[Pixiedust530]

Your must do's look great- you should have no problem finishing that list plus more. I have to mention though that we enjoyed FotLK MUCH more than FNtM. Nemo was basically just a retelling of the movie w/puppets while LK was an original story with fire dancers, trapeze artist, stilt walkers, breathtaking costumes and pageantry. If you only have time for one show I might rethink it. Of course everyone has their own tastes but, we LOVED FotLK. In fact Kya wants to be the ballerina bluebird when she grows up.

I really know NOTHING about the shows at any of the parks except for what I have read in books, online, & suggestions from wonderful DISers. My best friend did go last year during Easter & Spring Break and she said her son really enjoyed Finding Nemo. I can't remember if she saw FotLK or not, but she HIGHLY recommended FNtM. The more and more I look at our SHORT list I think we will be able to accomplish more than I think.

I notice that you don't have Kali River Rapids on that list. Did you not like it last time? I don't plan on riding it myself. The only ride I'm willing to get wet for is Splash Mountain.

I love the Finding Nemo show and can't wait to watch it again. We will skip Festival of the Lion King though. I don't think it lasts any longer but it just felt really long and we aren't really into shows that try to get you to shout louder than other parts of the building. It was so loud.

We haven't done Dinosaur yet and I can't wait to force the kids on it this time. The last two times I thought they were too young to try to talk into going. Neither of them wanted to. This time we've been talking about making sure we do all the things we missed on the previous trips. The same with It's Tough To Be A Bug. I didn't think either of my kids could handle it. I read so many horror stories of people having to leave because the little kids were freaking out since it feels like bugs are crawling around all over the place. We will definitely do it this time though. We have to! It's the code of doing everything we've missed! Just don't tell Kali River Rapids, I don't want to hurt it's feelings.

I actually LOVED Kali on our last trip, and I LOVE Splash Mountain as well, but sadly, neither are on our must do list this time. My boyfriend is not really a water ride kinda guy and quite frankly I don't exactly care to walk around wet all day. We have all (me, my DDBF & my grandparents) discussed it and have decided if it's super hot we might do a water ride....maybe just before heading back to the resort. Chances are more likely that would be Kali at AK since the park closes early. We are planning to stay into the evening for parade & fireworks at MK, so Splash is probably a NO GO!

I have read the reviews, recommendations & horror stories about Dinosaur & It's Tough to be a Bug, but I think we are still going to do both and Caden will ride as well. Caden doesn't freak out very easily & he loves bugs, so ITTBAB shouldn't be an issue. As for Dinosaur...a few parts may frighten him a little, but I don't expect a meltdown or anything. Since AK is our last park of the week I can sort of guage his reactions to all the other rides throughout the week. If I think he is on sensory overload and we need to skip it, we will.

 

[Pixiedust530]

How cute! I just noticed your PTR and the title caught my interest. Four years old for WDW?? I had to start reading! I'm up to the title explanation and I LOVE it! What a clever mommy! I love that you're planning to surprise him, too.

Subbing to catch up later & follow along!

to my PTR! I'm so glad you stumbled upon my PTR and decided to join in. I think I am having just as much fun writing this as I have doing the actual planning.

for your kind words. I'm not always clever, but I try my best! That darn 4 year old is much smarter than me sometimes though. I have shown him videos of all sorts of stuff, but have been very vague in general. The other day I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween. He replied: "I think I'll be a pirate when we go to Mickey's Halloween party!" How on earth does he know these things? I know I showed him videos but I NEVER said... hey there's this thing called MNSSHP & it's at WDW, & maybe we'll go some day!

Maybe I should put some of my planning materials away and be a little more cryptic when I talk about Disney in the same house as him! He might just figure this whole surprise thing out!

 

[Parla]

The other day I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween. He replied: "I think I'll be a pirate when we go to Mickey's Halloween party!" How on earth does he know these things? I know I showed him videos but I NEVER said... hey there's this thing called MNSSHP & it's at WDW, & maybe we'll go some day!

I love that! I think kids are sometimes more than perceptive. They're freakin' mind readers!

 

[Pixiedust530]

I love that! I think kids are sometimes more than perceptive. They're freakin' mind readers!

You got that right!!! My kids is freakin' too smart for his own good sometimes. He just KNOWS things and I have NO idea how!

Ever since he was about 2 months old & he would furrow his brow like he was deep in thought my grandma used to say "He's just an old soul! He knows stuff...I don't know how, but he knows!" OMG...she was completely right.

Some of the things he says I am totally in awe of where they come from.... A few months ago he asked me if I was afraid of death. HUH? He said death is sad and we miss those people but then they become our angels...like Aunt Donna* so it's okay and we shouldn't be scared of dying! *My aunt Donna passed away in 2000 and he was not born until 2007. We have shown him pictures of her and told her who she is & that she liked angels...he came up with the rest on his own. Seriously? I wonder what else is going on in that little head of his!

 

[Parla]

You got that right!!! My kids is freakin' too smart for his own good sometimes. He just KNOWS things and I have NO idea how!

Ever since he was about 2 months old & he would furrow his brow like he was deep in thought my grandma used to say "He's just an old soul! He knows stuff...I don't know how, but he knows!" OMG...she was completely right.

Some of the things he says I am totally in awe of where they come from.... A few months ago he asked me if I was afraid of death. HUH? He said death is sad and we miss those people but then they become our angels...like Aunt Donna* so it's okay and we shouldn't be scared of dying! *My aunt Donna passed away in 2000 and he was not born until 2007. We have shown him pictures of her and told her who she is & that she liked angels...he came up with the rest on his own. Seriously? I wonder what else is going on in that little head of his!

So I'm thinking Aunt Donna visits him!

Being too smart reminded me though when my son was getting ready to turn two I was spelling Chuck E Cheese to my sister on the phone because we were planning on meeting there. He started saying really excitedly, "You just spelled Chuck E Cheese. When are we going?"

 

[3princesses+aprince]

"He's an old soul" How cute! Kids are funny in what they know sometimes.

Your AK list looks great! I cannot wait to go back to ride Dinosaur. It was a favorite of mine! My kids loved it too.

 

[Pixiedust530]

"He's an old soul" How cute! Kids are funny in what they know sometimes.

Your AK list looks great! I cannot wait to go back to ride Dinosaur. It was a favorite of mine! My kids loved it too.

Has your youngest ridden Dinosaur? How old was she at the time? Was she frightened at all? if so, by what exactly?

Caden will be just shy of 5, really LOVES dinosaurs & doesn't frighten easily so I think he will be fine. It's always nice to hear from others though. I have not actually been on it myself. Maybe I need to go do some YouTube surfing!

 

[exwdwcm]

Caden is 42.5" right now & will likely be 44" by October. However....regardless of height we will NOT be riding ToT or RnRC! I don't think he's quite ready for either one! He could ride ToT right now but I think that might ruin him for the rest of the trip.

My grandparents and perhaps my mom will be with us on the trip. My Grandparents love ToT but not RnRC. While we are riding those they will take Caden to do other attractions...possibly Disney Junior or something else (I haven't really thought about it). I haven't started working on the actual touring plans for HS yet, just the must do lists. I will definitely keep all this in mind as I start planning our day!

Thanks again for all your help and feedback. Gives me a lot to think about for sure!

yep, no way would my son be ready for ToT or RnR yet, and he is a daredevil. He had just turned 3 on our last trip and rode BTMRR, TT, Splash, Soarin and was okay. but i think ToT is just too much for most 3/4yos.

Has your youngest ridden Dinosaur? How old was she at the time? Was she frightened at all? if so, by what exactly?

Caden will be just shy of 5, really LOVES dinosaurs & doesn't frighten easily so I think he will be fine. It's always nice to hear from others though. I have not actually been on it myself. Maybe I need to go do some YouTube surfing!

i've seen so many kids freaked out before and after on Dinosaur. but every kid is so different, you just never know how they will react until you try. i say give it a shot- you know him best! we did see this woman literally physically dragging her son, who was actually older, like 7 or so onto the ride. to the point of him crying hysterically. the dad and daughter went on without them because the kid was holding onto the staircase you go down before boarding. he was that scared. the mom forced him on anyway. i felt so bad for him. i mean, how is that fun for anyone? lol

most of the pictures i see at the exit, the younger ones are pretty scared, lol. the big T-rex pops out at you and that even scares me sometimes- i always jump a little. the ride can be alittle rough in how it moves, jars from side to side.

 

[Pixiedust530]

yep, no way would my son be ready for ToT or RnR yet, and he is a daredevil. He had just turned 3 on our last trip and rode BTMRR, TT, Splash, Soarin and was okay. but i think ToT is just too much for most 3/4yos.

i've seen so many kids freaked out before and after on Dinosaur. but every kid is so different, you just never know how they will react until you try. i say give it a shot- you know him best! we did see this woman literally physically dragging her son, who was actually older, like 7 or so onto the ride. to the point of him crying hysterically. the dad and daughter went on without them because the kid was holding onto the staircase you go down before boarding. he was that scared. the mom forced him on anyway. i felt so bad for him. i mean, how is that fun for anyone? lol

most of the pictures i see at the exit, the younger ones are pretty scared, lol. the big T-rex pops out at you and that even scares me sometimes- i always jump a little. the ride can be alittle rough in how it moves, jars from side to side.

Thanks for the detailed info on Dinosaur. That mother sounds just awful! If a kid is kicking and screaming so much then that means that have probably been on it before and hated it. I would NEVER do that to my son. If he says no...then no it is!

I guess we will just play it by ear as far as Dinosaur goes. Our zoo had a temporary Dinosaur exhibit last year that we went to a month after he turned 3. They were basically audio animatronic Dinos. They moved, roared, etc. It was a walkthrough exhibit outside, but everything was hidden/disguised by trees & foilage so the dinos seemed to jump out of nowhere & roar. He wasn't phased at all and I was actually a little nervous that he was going to be scared.

 

[Pixiedust530]

Just wanted to pop in for a quick update!

TOMORROW I get to make my ADR's! I am SOOOOO excited! I don't think I will have any problem waking up tomorrow morning. I am a little nervous, hoping I get everything I want. I don't really have any backups.

Yesterday I was out running around and bought a few Disney things. I picked up a Toy Story flashlight at Walmart for Caden. I actually went to Walmart in search of Disney T-Shirts for me, but no such luck.

After Walmart, my next stop was Books-A-Million looking for a sticker album for Caden to collect stickers in. (He keeps wanting to put them on things like the wall, the refrigerator, the walls, his train table, etc.) I had a sticker album as a kid but I am finding that apparently that was a thing of the 80's! Who knew? Anyway, after my unsuccessful trip to Walmart for a Disney shirt I still was wanting that Disney fix! So...I picked up this:

I haven't started reading it yet, but it looked kinda neat & I just couldn't resist. I already have the Unofficial Guide to WDW 2011, WDW with Kids 2010 (borrowed from a friend), and Frommer's WDW with your Family Pocket Guide (given to me by my BFF)! I needed another Disney planning book like I need another hole in my head! But alas, it cured my Disney itch and I am satisfied....until I get paid on Thursday!

That's all for now! I will post my confirmed ADR list tomorrow! and lots of !!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Ooooh, good luck tomorrow!!!! I'll be waiting here to see if you got everything you wanted, I'm sure you will!

 

[-Hope-]

Good luck tomorrow!!

As for the sticker book I got a sketch pad for my dd when she was little and it worked great. They sell them right by the poster board and construction paper. They are basically just a spiral bound notebook with thicker paper and no lines.

I'll be interested if any of those 600 secrets haven't already been spilled on the dis.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Has your youngest ridden Dinosaur? How old was she at the time? Was she frightened at all? if so, by what exactly?

Caden will be just shy of 5, really LOVES dinosaurs & doesn't frighten easily so I think he will be fine. It's always nice to hear from others though. I have not actually been on it myself. Maybe I need to go do some YouTube surfing!

Unfortunately my youngest was too short to ride on our last trip. She was so disappointed but my 7 yr old who is usually afraid of everything LOVED it. The scariest part is when the big dinosaur jumps out and roars. The rest of it isn't really scary. I would just warn him that that is going to happen at one point during the ride. It makes my top 5 favorites, i loved it sooo much. It's the first thing i'm heading for after Safari fast passes!

 

[Pixiedust530]

Today was they day....180 days til our trip to the World! Which also means....ADR day!

I woke up at 5am, grabbed a quick shower, took all 3 dogs out and got them fed before posting up on the couch with my laptop to make my ADRs. I got signed in and opened a new tab on my internet browser for EACH ADR I needed to make. (I know, I'm a little obsessive) I plugged in the date and times I wanted at each restaurant and had them all ready to go at 6am. All I had to do was click "Search for Tables" on each tab and complete the reservations.

I booked my first one for arrival day with no problems! I went to the next tab to get the next one and it keeps erroring out. I try another tab...same thing. Double I go back to the 2nd tab, click off of the dining reservation and go back in. It tells me I am trying to book more than 180 days out. I had to input my resort confirmation number AGAIN...even though I had already done that once. Onc eI did that everything was good to go and ADR's were a piece of cake. I got EVERYTHING I wanted at the times I wanted (within 10-15 minutes anyway).

The only reservation I couldn't do online was the Fantasmic! Dining Package. For whatever reason they don't have it available for online booking past August right now. So, I had to call the reservation line at 7am. I called at 7:00am on the dot and had a 12 minute hold time! OMG! Really?!? I was a little surprised. Anyway, once I got a live person she was able to get the F! DP booked for me at the time AND restaurant I wanted.

Here is the list:

Saturday, 10/15
Chef Mickey's @ Contemporary: 6:45pm

Sunday, 10/16
Breakfast in room
Lunch at CS in HS
Fantasmic! Pkg - Hollywood & Vine in HS: 4:40pm

Monday, 10/17
Breakfast in room
Akershus Princess Storybook Dining in EP: 12:25pm
Teppan Edo in EP: 6:50pm (Hoping to finish dinner and walk out to grab a spot for IllumiNations)

Tuesday, 10/18
Breakfast at Resort CS location
Lunch at CS in DTD (Probably EOS)
'Ohana @ Poly: 6:30pm

Wednesday, 10/19
Breakfast in room
Crystal Palace in MK: 12:45pm
Dinner at CS in MK

Thursday, 10/20
Donald's Safari Breakfast @ Tusker House in AK: 8:00am (park opens at 9am)
Lunch at CS in AK (Probably Flame Tree BBQ)
T-Rex @ DTD: 6:00pm

Friday, 10/21
Breakfast in room
Lunch at F&WF in EP
Dinner at CS in MK before start of MNSSHP

Saturday, 10/22
Breakfast at Resort CS location

It feels SO good to have all my reservations made and be able to put this part of the planning behind me! I have so much other planning I still need to do!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yay for ADRs!!! Looks like everyone is getting what they want today! It's such a good feeling to get them set in stone! Uh...and I thought I was obsessive? Opening windows for each ADR...you are my hero.

 

[Parla]

So it looks like our only overlapping day is Monday at Epcot. I didn't have any hold when I called at 7 AM but I also called the number for specialty cruises. Went straight through and she was more than happy to take care of all the ressies I couldn't do online. I don't think she believed me about Biergarten and had to try herself. I think she went to her supervisor when we hung up because she was really frustrated with it. After it not working she said, "Is there anything I else I can't get for you." Then she proceeded to forgetting to change from dining and almost thought she couldn't get Behind the Seeds.

 

[Nermel9]

You know, I could swear I joined your PTR, I have it checked off and I'm subscribed, but I just skimmed through it and I don't know if I ever officially joined...weird! Either way, I'm here now!

I LOVE that Hidden Magic book! I've read it twice and I'm going to read it again before my trip and take notes so I can remember to look for certain things in the parks!

Your ADR's look great! I keep thinking I want to do an F! package, but I'm sure they're gone by now!

 

[Pixiedust530]

Unfortunately my youngest was too short to ride on our last trip. She was so disappointed but my 7 yr old who is usually afraid of everything LOVED it. The scariest part is when the big dinosaur jumps out and roars. The rest of it isn't really scary. I would just warn him that that is going to happen at one point during the ride. It makes my top 5 favorites, i loved it sooo much. It's the first thing i'm heading for after Safari fast passes!

It's always good to hear firsthand experience from others! Thank you! I watched a few YouTube videos of the ride and I agree it doesn't look too scary. I think Caden will be alright. I will definitely give him advance warning that the dinosaur is going to jump out and roar. He ALWAYS does better with things when I prepare him of what's to come.

 

[Pixiedust530]

You know, I could swear I joined your PTR, I have it checked off and I'm subscribed, but I just skimmed through it and I don't know if I ever officially joined...weird! Either way, I'm here now!

I LOVE that Hidden Magic book! I've read it twice and I'm going to read it again before my trip and take notes so I can remember to look for certain things in the parks!

Your ADR's look great! I keep thinking I want to do an F! package, but I'm sure they're gone by now!

I could swear you had joined as well! Hmmm! Oh well...you are here now so we can let the begin, right?

Oh...I'm so glad to hear that you have the book and love it! I haven't started reading it yet, but I am eager to start. Thanks! I'm sure I will be taking notes as well....can we say OBSESSED?

Thanks! I'm very happy with the ADR's!!! It never hurts to call and check on the F! Pkg. It depends what night you want it for. You could always book one if it's available and cancel if you change your mind. The lady told me I only have to cancel 48 hours in advance to avoid being charged! Good luck whatever you decide!