No Matter How Long the Winter, Spring is Sure to Follow – A Flower & Garden PTR

[inkedupmomma]

OK, I'm back! Your children are adorable I love boos little red curls!

I am so glad to see another DxDP lover! I can not wait to make my ADR's in March! Although, without park hours, I am starting to drive myself nuts! I am hoping my plans match up with park hours!

 

[Colleen27]

My trip just keeps getting bigger!

Airfare was kind of stressing me out, because it has been hovering around $250pp which is a LOT more than we usually pay. Today a really good fare came up on Spirit's web site. Normally even their sale fares aren't low enough to compensate for all the upcharges, but this one was.

The catch? The Monday we planned to come home the only sale flight was the one at 6am! So yeah, that was out, and the regular price fares on the non-stop returns are about 3x the sale price.

For a minute, I thought about just booking the $36 fare going down and keep trying for a good return fare, but then I looked at the little "flexible dates" calendar and sure enough, all we had to do was make our trip one night longer to get the good airfare at a perfect time.

So guess what I did?

That's right, we're now staying yet another extra night. My little 3 night trip has officially DOUBLED itself in the planning.

Since flying home Tuesday saved us $240 and one night room only is $101 with the current code, that's a no brainer, right? $130 savings and an extra day of magic!

So now I have another night's dinner to plan! Since the DxDDP credits don't expire until midnight on check out day, dinner will be covered from the DxDDP part of the stay. And I'm sure we'll have some snack credits left to pick up an assortment of pastries and fruit for breakfast the next morning, so we'll only have lunch OOP before we head home.

 

[Colleen27]

OK, I'm back! Your children are adorable I love boos little red curls!

I am so glad to see another DxDP lover! I can not wait to make my ADR's in March! Although, without park hours, I am starting to drive myself nuts! I am hoping my plans match up with park hours!

She has DH's hair exactly. I love his red curls too but he keeps his hair short now because it is such a pain to take care of when it is long. When we got married, his hair was almost as long as mine! I always told him that I wanted a little girl with his curls, and sure enough that's our Boo. (And don't tell him I admitted this, but it really is kind of a pain to keep untangled! Well worth it on a sweet little girl, but I understand now why he won't grow his out again.)

The planning really is part of the fun with the DxDDP, isn't it? I always have my perfect list laid out at 180, and then I spend six months rethinking and rearranging. It helps to pass the time.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Yay!! Good for you on that airfare!! And, I like the way you do math..that's what I call Disney Math!!!! I'm excited for you, I just love when a vacation ends up longer than originally planned!!!!
I've never been on the DxDDP...but I know that with the regular DDP your credits don't expire until midnight on check out date like you said...but if you use credits on your check in day then you are essentially using your last day credits...make sense? I know it's confusing, but basically you need to count your credits and make sure you aren't expecting more than the plan provides...your credits are per night right?

 

[Colleen27]

I've never been on the DxDDP...but I know that with the regular DDP your credits don't expire until midnight on check out date like you said...but if you use credits on your check in day then you are essentially using your last day credits...make sense? I know it's confusing, but basically you need to count your credits and make sure you aren't expecting more than the plan provides...your credits are per night right?

With the deluxe plan it is 3 credits per night. If you use them breakfast-lunch-dinner you have enough for dinner on your arrival day, breakfast on your departure day, and lunch on one or the other.

We don't eat three meals a day, though. I book two ADRs per day and use snack credits for munchies to share in between. The signature meals use up some of those "extra" credits but I usually leave one unplanned to use whenever. Instead of leaving that one free this time I'm going to use it for dinner on our last night. I have a spreadsheet that keeps track of how many credits I have scheduled/remaining. Yes, I'm that kind of Disney dork.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to end up doing with our last full day. Since we have a really late night at the MK the night before, I'm thinking I'll keep our late breakfast at Kona and make it a sleep in morning. Then I'll let the girls decide whether they want to go back to Epcot or MK for the day.

If we end up at MK, I think The Plaza would be a perfect last dinner that's usually easy to get at the last minute, and if we're at Epcot we'll have time to try Via Napoli after all.

Pocahontas is going to think I've lost it, though - a day at Disney without a plan?!? Usually we let them pick where we go on our free days (waterparks, Disney Quest, hang out poolside, sometimes even add a ticket-day and hit a park) but our main park days are all planned out in advance.

 

[Colleen27]

So with airfare booked, I'm moving on to detailed itineraries and touring plans.

And speaking of touring plans, the TouringPlans.com free preview of the crowd calendar now extends through most of my trip. Their methods have changed since our last trip so I'm not sure how the new ratings will compare, but I can't complain about 2s and 3s with a couple of 6s at the end of the trip.

Now on to the planning...

March 2, arrival day.

We seldom do a park on arrival day. Traveling is just too tiring - we have a 2 hour drive to the Detroit airport, then all the waiting to get through security, waiting to board, waiting to take off, waiting to land, waiting for Magical Express. It tends to be somehow both boring and tiring.

To pass the time, I'll almost certainly have a trashy novel of some sort, and my new smartphone to play with. Since I'm not getting it until we change providers (in 13 days, but who's counting? ) I'm sure it'll still have some "new toy" factor.

Pocahontas will have her Nintendo DS and thanks to the March '11 Facebook group, the Guide to the Magic to read.

Boo will be the challenge. We have a travel magna-doodle that she's never seen, so I'll definitely take that, and snacks will keep her occupied for some of the time. Still, I'm debating the merits of a portable DVD player since we've been talking about buying one to hook into the TV in my van anyway (the van, being darned near an antique by now, has a VCR - but of course we haven't bought a VHS tape in many years, so all Boo's favorites are on DVD!)

Our plane leaves Detroit at 9:30AM, so I'm sure breakfast will be at the airport. That's okay though, because I just found out from another pre-trippie that there's an Earl of Sandwich in the Detroit airport, and even more amazing, it is in the right terminal!

For anyone who hasn't flown from Detroit, our airport has two terminals - the good one, where the Delta and KLM gates are, that is more like a mall than an airport, and the smaller one that is home to the discount airlines like Airtran and Spirit. The last time we flew from the second terminal it was undergoing renovations and we ended up with Coney Island for breakfast because there was so little available past security. So you can understand why hearing that there's an EoS now made me do a little happy dance!

We should arrive in Orlando right at noon, and since Spirit charges for carry-ons we're going to check our bags and let ME deal with them for a change. Hopefully the lines for the buses won't be bad - last trip we flew in one a Saturday and had to wait for the 3rd CBR bus before we made it on! We were stripping off layers of clothes in the Orlando airport, because it was 17 degrees when we left Detroit and 84 when we landed in Florida.

I'm figuring on it being about 2 by the time we get to Pop, check in, and find our room. We're booked in a preferred room and I requested first floor because it is so easy with the stroller, but I'm leaving building/section to luck.

As always, I'll pack our swimsuits in our "personal item" to carry with us on the plane, so that we can get changed and head straight to the pool if the weather is good. Knowing my kids, I'm assuming it will be. On our last two trips, they swam while the lifeguards sat around wearing winter coats, hats, and gloves.

Around 4:30 we'll get dried off and hop a bus to the Magic Kingdom for a first glimpse of the castle and a nice boat ride across to the Polynesian. I have a 5:40 ADR at Kona Cafe, but now I'm thinking I might try to make it a little later so that we can catch the torch lighting ceremony at 6. A 6:35 is available, which would let us watch that and be done just in time to catch Wishes from the beach at 8 before heading back to Pop to call it a night.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

So with airfare booked, I'm moving on to detailed itineraries and touring plans.

And speaking of touring plans, the TouringPlans.com free preview of the crowd calendar now extends through most of my trip. Their methods have changed since our last trip so I'm not sure how the new ratings will compare, but I can't complain about 2s and 3s with a couple of 6s at the end of the trip.

Now on to the planning...

March 2, arrival day.

We seldom do a park on arrival day. Traveling is just too tiring - we have a 2 hour drive to the Detroit airport, then all the waiting to get through security, waiting to board, waiting to take off, waiting to land, waiting for Magical Express. It tends to be somehow both boring and tiring.

To pass the time, I'll almost certainly have a trashy novel of some sort, and my new smartphone to play with. Since I'm not getting it until we change providers (in 13 days, but who's counting? ) I'm sure it'll still have some "new toy" factor.

Pocahontas will have her Nintendo DS and thanks to the March '11 Facebook group, the Guide to the Magic to read.

Boo will be the challenge. We have a travel magna-doodle that she's never seen, so I'll definitely take that, and snacks will keep her occupied for some of the time. Still, I'm debating the merits of a portable DVD player since we've been talking about buying one to hook into the TV in my van anyway (the van, being darned near an antique by now, has a VCR - but of course we haven't bought a VHS tape in many years, so all Boo's favorites are on DVD!)

Our plane leaves Detroit at 9:30AM, so I'm sure breakfast will be at the airport. That's okay though, because I just found out from another pre-trippie that there's an Earl of Sandwich in the Detroit airport, and even more amazing, it is in the right terminal!

For anyone who hasn't flown from Detroit, our airport has two terminals - the good one, where the Delta and KLM gates are, that is more like a mall than an airport, and the smaller one that is home to the discount airlines like Airtran and Spirit. The last time we flew from the second terminal it was undergoing renovations and we ended up with Coney Island for breakfast because there was so little available past security. So you can understand why hearing that there's an EoS now made me do a little happy dance!

We should arrive in Orlando right at noon, and since Spirit charges for carry-ons we're going to check our bags and let ME deal with them for a change. Hopefully the lines for the buses won't be bad - last trip we flew in one a Saturday and had to wait for the 3rd CBR bus before we made it on! We were stripping off layers of clothes in the Orlando airport, because it was 17 degrees when we left Detroit and 84 when we landed in Florida.

I'm figuring on it being about 2 by the time we get to Pop, check in, and find our room. We're booked in a preferred room and I requested first floor because it is so easy with the stroller, but I'm leaving building/section to luck.

As always, I'll pack our swimsuits in our "personal item" to carry with us on the plane, so that we can get changed and head straight to the pool if the weather is good. Knowing my kids, I'm assuming it will be. On our last two trips, they swam while the lifeguards sat around wearing winter coats, hats, and gloves.

Around 4:30 we'll get dried off and hop a bus to the Magic Kingdom for a first glimpse of the castle and a nice boat ride across to the Polynesian. I have a 5:40 ADR at Kona Cafe, but now I'm thinking I might try to make it a little later so that we can catch the torch lighting ceremony at 6. A 6:35 is available, which would let us watch that and be done just in time to catch Wishes from the beach at 8 before heading back to Pop to call it a night.

That sounds like a great first day! We have stayed at POP twice and both times with a stroller. We have been on the 4th floor and the first floor. I really like the first floor for ease, they have an elevator but it is stuffy and kinda slow. But the 4th floor was good too, no noise from the floors above and the view of the fireworks wasn't awful either. I think your kids will really like it there it's bright and fun, and you will probably like the size of everything, so close!

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I'm all caught up now! Your plans look great so far. Our last minute night that we added (to save airfare) for our December trip was at Pop and I've stayed there before. I think you'll like it. DW wasn't a huge fan, but I think most of that had to do with us spending a week at Port Orleans French Quarter in one of the new refurbished rooms. I tried the tie dye cheesecake and liked it. I can see how it would be not as good if it were dry, though.

 

[Colleen27]

Random pics, just because...

That's right, our park touring starts at Animal Kingdom!

Pocahontas gave me a pretty short list of must-dos for our visit, which is good because it is going to be a pretty short visit to the park.

Must dos:

• Expedition Everest
• Dinosaur
• Kilimanjaro Safari

DM's list is even shorter - the only thing she really wants to do is the safari.

My list lines up perfectly with theirs, just Everest and the Safari. Kali is usually a must-do for us but neither Pocahontas or I want to be soaked for the rest of the day, so we're going to skip it this time unless the weather is really warm.

I also made note of a couple of Boo-friendly attractions near the must-dos that she can't go on. DM does not do coasters or thrill rides so she'll gladly take Boo to the more toddler-friendly attractions while I take Pocahontas on the fun stuff.

So our overall plan for the day looks like this -

Arrive for rope drop, 9am
Pocahontas and I to Everest
Boo and DM to Triceratops Spin
Pocahontas and I to Dinosaur
Boo and DM, more Triceratops Spin (Boo rode 4 times last trip and still didn't want to leave!) or the Dinoland character spot
Meet up in Dinoland and head back to Africa, by way of the Discovery Island character trails if we have time
Grab safari fastpasses
Brunch at Tusker House, 10:15
Use safari fastpasses
Head out

The reason AK is such a short day is because the Tigers are playing the Braves at Wide World of Sports at 1:05. I am a HUGE Tigers fan, in case my avatar didn't give it away, and I've always wanted to catch a spring training game. So when I saw they were playing at WWoS, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to get tickets!

Our plans for the evening after the game are still sort of up in the air.

Usually DM likes to take a little time shopping on our trips, so if that holds true we'll spend the evening at Downtown Disney. But right now, I don't know because DM mentioned that maybe we wouldn't bother this trip.

If we go to Downtown Disney, we have a 6:15 ADR at Raglan Road. DM has never been there. The girls and I have on our last trip with DH & DS, but we were there for lunch so there was no entertainment. Dinner looks like a lot more fun!

If we don't go to DTD I really don't have a firm plan just yet. We don't have hoppers, so it'll be a resort dinner somewhere. Since there is a bus from WWoS to CBR, I have been thinking maybe Shutters. We didn't get to try it on our last trip and it always smelled so good.

But if the weather is nice the kids will probably want to swim after the game before it gets dark, and in that case we might just end up ordering pizza or grabbing something from the food court and making it a lazy evening at the resort.

Or maybe, if we feel like it after the game, we might hop a bus to the MK and walk over to The Wave. The menu looks so good and the reviews I've read have looked even better, but I never seem to find a place to squeeze it into the plans.

However we do it, we'll wrap up the day shortly after dinner so we can be ready to go for our first full park day in the morning.

 

[jenseib]

I have to join in. I am still catching up on the reading, but I wanted to comment.
I bet we live not too far from you...sort of. I live in NW OHIO, about 25 miles west of Toledo. We are about 1-1 1/2 hours from DTW airport. (I would love to know what town you live in)
Our plan right now is to go Mar.2-9 at Pop. I have a deposit down and need to get the official yes for DH. We were going to go in Dec and then he had to get his hip replacement replaced, so that trip was postponed.
I've been looking at DTW flights, and I just hate the times....and prices. We wil lmost likely go out of Toledo, but then we have to rent a car as well. (it goes into Sandford)

I looked at Spirits flight..I see they have $39 flights, but for $9 club members. Are you a member of that? I don't like that they charge for carryons though.

I see you are hoping for Le Cellier. I think only dinner is 2 credits. At least that is the buzz on the Dis. Supposedly lunch is still 1. I have a lunch ADR booked there...it will be a first time for us.

Maybe we will run into each other at Pop. So far it looks like most of our days are for different parks, except the plan is MK on the 6th right now.
Now off to read more!

 

[jenseib]

Still reading (lost connection for awhile) I have to ask the name of the March '11 facebook group. Sounds something I would like to join.
I also had just order the guide the Magic. In fact I just got the email to notify me it is being shipped tomorrow.

 

[Colleen27]

I have to join in. I am still catching up on the reading, but I wanted to comment.
I bet we live not too far from you...sort of. I live in NW OHIO, about 25 miles west of Toledo. We are about 1-1 1/2 hours from DTW airport. (I would love to know what town you live in)
Our plan right now is to go Mar.2-9 at Pop. I have a deposit down and need to get the official yes for DH. We were going to go in Dec and then he had to get his hip replacement replaced, so that trip was postponed.
I've been looking at DTW flights, and I just hate the times....and prices. We wil lmost likely go out of Toledo, but then we have to rent a car as well. (it goes into Sandford)

I looked at Spirits flight..I see they have $39 flights, but for $9 club members. Are you a member of that? I don't like that they charge for carryons though.

I see you are hoping for Le Cellier. I think only dinner is 2 credits. At least that is the buzz on the Dis. Supposedly lunch is still 1. I have a lunch ADR booked there...it will be a first time for us.

Maybe we will run into each other at Pop. So far it looks like most of our days are for different parks, except the plan is MK on the 6th right now.
Now off to read more!

Too funny that you found me, I'm in the middle of reading your PRT. I just love the little character notes you made for your DD!

We're in the opposite direction from DTW - northeast of Detroit, where the suburbs meet rural at the base of the "thumb" area.

I'm not real happy with the times out of DTW either. We don't like to leave as early as we are because of the drive, but it is better than paying twice as much to fly Delta with better times.

I'm not a $9 fare club member (or wasn't, anyway - when we booked I took the $20 two month trial to get the discount on our luggage fees and I'll cancel when we get home). We don't fly often enough or take enough luggage for the $60 full membership to be worthwhile. If you have 3+ bags round trip the membership would pay for itself on the $10 per bag discount, though.

I'm kind of liking the idea that Spirit charges for carry-ons because on our last Delta flight to MCO it felt like every single person on the plane had their maximum carry-on allowance, and on a plane full of families with kids that made for very slow loading and deplaning. I'm hoping with no savings incentive, more people will check their bags and the boarding will go more smoothly.

You're right about Le Cellier - lunch is going to remain one credit, dinner will be two. I'm not really that into the current menu but I think it might be cool to check out what they do with the transition to signature for dinner.

I'll keep my eyes open around Pop for your DD's princess dresses! I'm sure I'll post pictures of my girls' park outfits as I get them made, so we should probably be pretty easy to spot too.

 

[Colleen27]

Still reading (lost connection for awhile) I have to ask the name of the March '11 facebook group. Sounds something I would like to join.
I also had just order the guide the Magic. In fact I just got the email to notify me it is being shipped tomorrow.

This link should get you to the page to request to join:

March 2011 on Facebook

My DD can't wait to get her hands on the Guide to the Magic, and I'm loving the idea because it means I won't be making a scrapbook autograph book this time. Since I'm making more outfits and getting a late start because of all the holiday fun, I decided something else had to give a little.

 

[jenseib]

How funny! My PTR is long because of all the Dec planning that went on. So on the first page I posted the page number where I start planning for March. Sounds like you found your way.

Thanks for the link to the facebook group. I'm not real savvy with working around on facebook or how groups work, but I'll give a go.
I did not know that DTW now has an earl of Sandwich. I would fly there just for that. But I think if we do, it will be Delta. Though I haven't checked Airtran in awhile for times.
The thing I hate about flying out of Toledo is the times. They only go a few days a week and then we usually don't get in till fairly late and when we come home it's way too early. It needs to be the opposite.

I have gone in March 3 times, and for the most part the weather has been great. In 2007 it was a little chilly for part of the trip. I heard though that last year it was very cold.

 

[Colleen27]

Flying Delta for EoS won't work - it is in the north terminal with the Airtran & Spirit gates. Delta only flies out of the McNamara terminal. I'm taking that as my consolation prize for flying the bargain basement airline this time - the seats may be tiny and the drinks aren't free, but we can have EoS before our flight!

The times seem to be the big downside with most smaller airports. We really prefer Flint Bishop over Metro and it is about the same drive, going north instead of south, but Airtran is the only one that flies non-stop from there to MCO and their times are rough. For this trip, we'd have been leaving before 7am and coming home around midnight, which is particularly inconvenient since the park-and-fly resort shuttles don't start early enough or run late enough. So we keep ending up at DTW.

 

[Colleen27]

Hollywood Studios is by far my least favorite park to plan. Nothing ever seems to fall into place times-wise, and although there aren’t a lot of attractions we’re really excited about we still always seem to need a full day.

DHS is also the only park where there is a really disappointing refurb going on. Playhouse Disney is scheduled to be dark from the end of January until March 5 – yep, the day after we’re scheduled to be there!

I’m already thinking about how we could maybe rearrange our days. But with an early EMH on Saturday that we would never get up early enough for and the evening EMH at MK that is my personal must-do for Sunday, the only other day that might work is Monday and I really don’t want to end our trip at our least favorite park. So unless I think of something better, right now this is going to stay as-is and I’m going to be hoping and wishing for a pixie dust soft opening or an early end to the refurb.

We all have different must-dos here, and odds are we’ll spend most of the morning split up so we can all see the things we want to.

Must dos by Pocahontas:

• Toy Story Mania
• Rock N Roller Coaster
• Tower of Terror
• Playhouse Disney

If we have time:

• Muppetvision 3D
• Magic of Disney Animation

Boo’s list is pretty simple, because there’s not all that much for her to do at DHS: Playhouse Disney and Beauty and the Beast were her favorites last time, and I think she’ll like Toy Story Mania now that she’s a little older.

My mom hasn’t been to DHS since our very first trip in 1997, so she’s got a longer list than she does for the other parks because there are so many things she’s never seen.

Must-dos by DM:

• Beauty and the Beast
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid
• Playhouse Disney
• Toy Story Mania

My list is easy here too because the others cover it all! TSM is the biggie on my list, because I was sick on our DHS day last trip and missed it.

I love thrill rides and my mom doesn’t ride anything more extreme than the Tea Cups, so DHS is a divide and conquer park. First thing in the morning I’ll take Pocahontas, my mom will take Boo, and we’ll meet up later for the tamer rides.

This is really the first day where I’m getting a feel for how different a “girls” trip is going to be. Notice the complete lack of Jedi Training, Lights Motors Action, and Indiana Jones on the must-do lists? That’s right, the shows that usually trip up my DHS planning are avoidable since we don’t have DH & DS along!

Now, on to the touring plan –

Arrive for rope drop, 9am
Everyone to TSM, get Fastpasses and ride
Pocahontas & I to Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster
DM & Boo to Voyage of the Little Mermaid and character hunting
Meet up for Playhouse Disney, if it is open
Lunch, 11:30 at Brown Derby
Muppetvision 3D
Use TSM Fastpasses
Beauty & the Beast
Check out the ESPN the Weekend happenings and/or character meet & greets
Magic of Disney Animation – doing this very last for the special non-F! night character meet & greet
Dinner, 5:45 at Flying Fish
Back to Pop for the night

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Your plans for DHS look good. I agree that DHS is always the toughest to plan since there are so many shows. I think you're right, though, that things might go closer to plan since you can avoid all of the "guy" stuff. I hope Playhouse Disney is open for y'all!

 

[jenseib]

Flying Delta for EoS won't work - it is in the north terminal with the Airtran & Spirit gates. Delta only flies out of the McNamara terminal. I'm taking that as my consolation prize for flying the bargain basement airline this time - the seats may be tiny and the drinks aren't free, but we can have EoS before our flight!

The times seem to be the big downside with most smaller airports. We really prefer Flint Bishop over Metro and it is about the same drive, going north instead of south, but Airtran is the only one that flies non-stop from there to MCO and their times are rough. For this trip, we'd have been leaving before 7am and coming home around midnight, which is particularly inconvenient since the park-and-fly resort shuttles don't start early enough or run late enough. So we keep ending up at DTW.

How long has EOS been there. I'm pretty sure when we flew spirit in 2008 it wasn't there, but then we didn't look too hard either.
My guess is that we'll just fly out of Toledo.

DHS is my least favorite too. And I do have it set for our last day, but thats about the only place I can fit it in, but we may skip it if things don't work out right. Claire does like TOT though. We will most likely sleep in this day too, so chances for us riding TSM are slim. But we'll still try. Last trip we slept in and were lucky enough to get late FP's for it.
I do want to explore the park more this time and take pictures. I have seen so many great photos of the place, and realized I have hardly none of the park itself. We skipped it in 2007, DD got sick there in 2008, so she and I left...and in 2009 we just didn't have enough time, and wasn't taking pictures as much as I should've. I do know if DH wants to watch Lightsmotoraction, that DD and I wil lskip it. I really didn't care for the show (I know, everyone loves it but me), and I figure we can find characters or just have some fun togehter.
I didn't realize Playhouse Disney was shutting down. Are they making a new show? The plan right now is to visit on the 8th, so we might be able to see it then.(if she wants to)

 

[Colleen27]

How long has EOS been there. I'm pretty sure when we flew spirit in 2008 it wasn't there, but then we didn't look too hard either.
My guess is that we'll just fly out of Toledo.

DHS is my least favorite too. And I do have it set for our last day, but thats about the only place I can fit it in, but we may skip it if things don't work out right. Claire does like TOT though. We will most likely sleep in this day too, so chances for us riding TSM are slim. But we'll still try. Last trip we slept in and were lucky enough to get late FP's for it.
I do want to explore the park more this time and take pictures. I have seen so many great photos of the place, and realized I have hardly none of the park itself. We skipped it in 2007, DD got sick there in 2008, so she and I left...and in 2009 we just didn't have enough time, and wasn't taking pictures as much as I should've. I do know if DH wants to watch Lightsmotoraction, that DD and I wil lskip it. I really didn't care for the show (I know, everyone loves it but me), and I figure we can find characters or just have some fun togehter.
I didn't realize Playhouse Disney was shutting down. Are they making a new show? The plan right now is to visit on the 8th, so we might be able to see it then.(if she wants to)

I'm not sure exactly when EoS opened. I had no idea it was there until I saw the talk about franchises on BigTex71's PTR and popped over to the company website to see if there was one anywhere near us. I know it was after Aug '07, because that trip was the last time we flew out of the north terminal and the it was undergoing major renovations so there was virtually nothing open at the time. We ate breakfast at National Coney Island, and my DS (such a boy ) had chili cheese fries at 9am.

If we switch our DHS day it'll be a late start for us too, because we're going to be at MK late the night before. But that would make our DHS day an evening EMH day too, so we could see how the lines are for TSM at the very end of the night. And the Playhouse Disney dance party they do on EMH nights does look pretty cool. I'm still thinking on it. Pocahontas is all for switching even if it means missing TSM.

Playhouse Disney on TV is being renamed Disney Junior, and the speculation about the show refurb is that it is going to incorporate the new name and some updated characters, since the current show features Little Einsteins and My Friends Tigger & Pooh characters that are no longer part of the TV lineup. The show will close 1/30 and is scheduled to reopen 3/6.

 

[Colleen27]

After much conversation with Pocahontas (as much to keep her from driving her brother nuts as to advance the planning, because cabin fever is setting in with all of this non-snowy cold weather ), I went ahead and switched around our park days so the girls can see Playhouse Disney.

So now, instead of DHS on March 4, we will be there on Monday, March 7.

And to fill the day on March 4, we decided that a Flower & Garden trip really deserves two full Epcot days.

The fun part of this plan (and the part that makes me a bad, bad TGM/TP uber-planner) is that puts us in both Epcot AND DHS on evening EMH nights! Since I'm a night owl this suits me just fine, but it might end up with DM and Pocahontas retiring for the night before Boo and I do.

To accommodate the changes we now have Via Napoli for lunch on 3/4 and Captain's Grill for dinner, though dinner is just a back-up option. We plan to stop by Beaches & Cream to see if maybe the third time is the charm. They don't take ADRs and we've tried twice before to eat there only to be told it would be an hour's wait, so we went elsewhere. But that was August and early October, on 90+ degree days. Hopefully people will have less interest in ice cream in cooler weather!

On the 7th, I just rebooked the same ADRs we had on our original DHS day - Brown Derby for lunch and Flying Fish for dinner.

So, a revised touring plan for our second park day will be along shortly...