Nov 2011 PTR: A Very Merry Wilderness Surprise! **UPDATED 5/12/11**

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Wow! These are great news!! You are going on the same week I went last year. We will miss each other this time for only a couple of days.

Congratulations to your nephews and to yourselves for booking your family Disney trip!!

Q

I was wondering if we would get to have a DISmeet. Too bad that we will miss you by a few days! Maybe next year.

Loving the travel plans! You will have to let us know what you thought of Les Mis. and on Dakoda having her 4th birthday at Disney World!!

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to Les Mis since I've never seen it before and have heard great things about it. Plus it will be the first time seeing my nephews perform as well.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hi Julia! I'm joining in! Your kids are so adorable! I bet it is so much fun getting to watch them experience all of the Disney magic. I can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[lbuzz52]

Hi from another TN girl going in May (i'm from the other side though). Looking forward to more.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Hi Julia! I'm joining in! Your kids are so adorable! I bet it is so much fun getting to watch them experience all of the Disney magic. I can't wait to read more about your trip!

Hi Courtney! Thanks for stopping by my PTR! You're right, it is SO much fun watching my kids experience the magic!! It seems like each time we go they discover something new, and just watching their eyes light up....sigh, makes me misty every time.

Hi from another TN girl going in May (i'm from the other side though). Looking forward to more.

Hi neighbor!! to my PTR! Thanks for stopping by! More details are coming very soon.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Autograph Book Deal!!

I've been working on our autograph books for the past few days. This will be our first year collecting autographs, and I wasn't a big fan of any of the generic ones I saw on the Disney Store website, so I decided to make my own. Instead of just making one big book, I decided to make three smaller ones - one regular book to carry around the parks, one for Character Meals, and one for Star Wars Weekend.

I was browsing the DISign board this morning looking for a character that I was missing and came across an amazing deal that I just had to share with you all!

From "A Simple Guide to Making an Autograph Book" on the DISign board....

Artscow is having a GREAT deal today - a 20 page 5x7 hardcover book is $3.99 shipped! This is as cheap as it gets, folks. This is a fantastic size for character meals and Epcot Passports. Put in the code JUST399BK at checkout. This deal is being advertised on Facebook, so if you have an account with them you should "like" Artscow (as well as Shutterfly and Snapfish) because they do a lot of exclusive offers for Facebook only.

ETA: You may have to go through the Facebook link to get this deal.

I was able to get both my Character Meal and my SWW books for $8.88 shipped!!

Here are the links to each if you want to check them out:
Character Meal Autograph Book
Star Wars Autograph Book

I have another update coming later, but I just wanted to share this before it expires in case anyone else can use it. Enjoy!

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Last Autograph Book

I finished our third autograph book last night and I'm soooo excited about it! Some of the pages are from the DISign board and some I created myself using Donatalie's character cards. I have a $30 credit on Shutterfly, so I'm ordering an 8x8 photobook ($23.99 + tax for 20 pages). I can't wait to see the finished product!

Here are a few of the pages that I made:

If you want to see the whole book, click here.

I am by no means a design pro, but I'm pretty happy with what I managed to put together. I hope you all like it, too!

 

[Lidian]

I absolutely LOVE the pages you shared! I tried to click the link to see the whole book, but it gave me a 404 error.

I am so jealous of your beautiful pages! Thanks for sharing!!!!

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

I absolutely LOVE the pages you shared! I tried to click the link to see the whole book, but it gave me a 404 error.

I am so jealous of your beautiful pages! Thanks for sharing!!!!

Thank you for your sweet compliments!!! It really wasn't very hard to create them. There are SO many links to ideas and things over on the DISign board. I bet you could make your own and they would be amazing!

Thanks for letting me know the link wasn't working. I think I fixed it; let me know if it still gives the error.

 

[Lidian]

Thank you for your sweet compliments!!! It really wasn't very hard to create them. There are SO many links to ideas and things over on the DISign board. I bet you could make your own and they would be amazing!

Thanks for letting me know the link wasn't working. I think I fixed it; let me know if it still gives the error.

Link is working fine, and your book is soo amazing!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love all the autograph books and yay on getting a deal!!

 

[lbuzz52]

i love that autograph book! Did you do the background for the pages?

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Link is working fine, and your book is soo amazing!

Thank you!

Love all the autograph books and yay on getting a deal!!

Thanks! It's a great price for those!

i love that autograph book! Did you do the background for the pages?

Thanks!! I did everything but the character cards on the first 13 pages, with the exception of Tink's page. That background was already there; I just added her card. Pages 14-20 I found through links on the DISign board. Basically, I just got lazy at that point.

 

[that's nice]

I'm here!!! And it works!!!!!


Who knew you started a new report.....


I have work to do today but I'll be back later!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Wow! Those pages are amazing! I love them! That's so much more fun than a blank autograph book.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

I'm here!!! And it works!!!!!


Who knew you started a new report.....


I have work to do today but I'll be back later!

Tim! Thanks for stopping by! I haven't really "advertised" that I started a new report, so I'll forgive you for not knowing.

Wow! Those pages are amazing! I love them! That's so much more fun than a blank autograph book.

Thank you!!

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

"New" Attractions

There are some things that go on our "Must" list year after year, and there are others that we have skipped for lack of time or interest (or the kids weren't old/big enough for it yet). So in this post I thought that I would share some of the attractions that we are putting on the "Must" list this year that we haven't experienced before.

Magic Kingdom

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - This will be the first year that Dakoda is tall enough to ride, and I have skipped out on it the past 2 years. I'm very interested to see how he likes it, because he wasn't a huge fan of Goofy's Barnstormer.

Jungle Cruise - Darren and Dakoda rode this in 2009 while I sat with a sleeping Sarah Kate, and we all skipped it last year.

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor - A first for all of us

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - Another first for all

Tom Sawyer Island - Another first for all, and I think the kids will love being able to just run around and explore for a while.

TTA PeopleMover - Really looking forward to this one

Walt Disney World Railroad - I don't know how we have missed this one in the past since the kids love trains

Main Street Electrical Parade - We were there a week or two before this started last year.


The Magic, The Memories, and You - This is obviously a first for all

*We haven't decided yet whether or not Dakoda will get to ride Splash Mountain this year. We're afraid the big drop would scare him to death.

Epcot

Soarin' - Darren and I both love this ride and can't wait for Dakoda to experience it!

Test Track - Another first for Dakoda

We also hope to get in some of the shows in World Showcase, but we're only spending one day at Epcot this year, so I don't know how much time we'll have.

Hollywood Studios

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular - I saw this back in '02, but Darren and the kids have never seen it.

Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show - This one is more of a maybe b/c I'm afraid Sarah Kate will get scared.

Muppet*Vision 3-D - Maybe the kids will wear 3-D glasses this year

Star Tours - Dakoda's first time being tall enough, but I guess it will technically be a first for all of us since it's been completely reimagined!

*He is also tall enough for Tower of Terror this year, but I'm pretty sure he would hate it, so I'll most likely be riding solo on that one (again).

Animal Kingdom

Dinosaur - Dakoda's first time

Kali River Rapids - Another first for Dakoda

Wildlife Express Train - Another train that I don't know how (or why) we skipped

So those are the "new" shows and attractions that we are looking forward to this year! How will adding these affect our touring plans? Will we have to fore go some of our old favorites? Stay tuned!


​

 

[Lidian]

"New" Attractions

There are some things that go on our "Must" list year after year, and there are others that we have skipped for lack of time or interest (or the kids weren't old/big enough for it yet). So in this post I thought that I would share some of the attractions that we are putting on the "Must" list this year that we haven't experienced before.

Magic Kingdom


Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - This will be the first year that Dakoda is tall enough to ride, and I have skipped out on it the past 2 years. I'm very interested to see how he likes it, because he wasn't a huge fan of Goofy's Barnstormer.
DS was "okay" with Barnstormer, but he loved BTMRR - because it was themed as a train.


Jungle Cruise - Darren and Dakoda rode this in 2009 while I sat with a sleeping Sarah Kate, and we all skipped it last year.
This is my favorite ride at MK. But it really does depend on the "tour guide" to make this ride as good as it is.


Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor - A first for all of us
This is probably one of the best shows at WDW. We have plans to see it at least twice (in one day) on our trip!

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - Another first for all

Tom Sawyer Island - Another first for all, and I think the kids will love being able to just run around and explore for a while.

TTA PeopleMover - Really looking forward to this one
We rode WEDway for the first time last year and I absolutely loved it. It was nice to be off our feet and seeing the park from a new perspective. The kids really enjoyed it, too! DD asked later if we could ride again.

Walt Disney World Railroad - I don't know how we have missed this one in the past since the kids love trains
DS loved the RR, but DD didn't care much for it.


Main Street Electrical Parade - We were there a week or two before this started last year.
I'm sad that I'll be missing this one this year.

The Magic, The Memories, and You - This is obviously a first for all

*We haven't decided yet whether or not Dakoda will get to ride Splash Mountain this year. We're afraid the big drop would scare him to death.
Let him watch the logs come down the hill a few times before heading to the line, it may ease his fear (or make it worse ). Reassure him that the people are screaming, but they're fine and having a good time. This worked for DS and he rode it just fine.

Epcot


Soarin' - Darren and I both love this ride and can't wait for Dakoda to experience it!


Test Track - Another first for Dakoda

We also hope to get in some of the shows in World Showcase, but we're only spending one day at Epcot this year, so I don't know how much time we'll have.

Hollywood Studios
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular - I saw this back in '02, but Darren and the kids have never seen it.
I think DH would ditch us if we didn't watch Indy at least once while there.

Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show - This one is more of a maybe b/c I'm afraid Sarah Kate will get scared.
We've never bothered because we had the same fears, however, we're going to attempt it this year, if time permits


Muppet*Vision 3-D - Maybe the kids will wear 3-D glasses this year
But its not as fun to actually see the show.


Star Tours - Dakoda's first time being tall enough, but I guess it will technically be a first for all of us since it's been completely reimagined!
We can't wait for this!!!! The last one was good, and DS insisted on getting a Jedi Mickey afterwards ... so I'm worried about the refurb... hope its still great!!!

*He is also tall enough for Tower of Terror this year, but I'm pretty sure he would hate it, so I'll most likely be riding solo on that one (again).
This one scares me. It's DD's favorite, so I'll have to ride, but I'm soo not looking forward to it.

Animal Kingdom

Dinosaur - Dakoda's first time
Can't wait to hear how he does! I'm too scared to ride this one.


Kali River Rapids - Another first for Dakoda


Wildlife Express Train - Another train that I don't know how (or why) we skipped

So those are the "new" shows and attractions that we are looking forward to this year! How will adding these affect our touring plans? Will we have to fore go some of our old favorites? Stay tuned!


​

See above in "sienna". I think you can get your favorites in, as well as some new things, if you set a goal and work towards it. I totally backup everyone who says that RD is great for big schedules. You can get so much done in the first hour. Last year, we hit RD and had a good chunk of our activities done before the crowds came in. By 10am, it felt like 2pm with our list. It was soo nice to feel accomplished and have free time to spare.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love your list of attractions that you want to try for the first time! It's funny how the simple things get missed - would have done the same with the Walt Disney World Railroad and Wildlife Express Train Am now going to make sure these are included in our plans

Am looking forward to hearing how the new attractions fit in with the old time favourites - am hoping you do not have to sacrifice any of them

 

[ChattaAlley]

Hello from Chattanooga - Wave as you go through. I am excited for yall. I hope the kiddos have a blast.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

See above in "sienna". I think you can get your favorites in, as well as some new things, if you set a goal and work towards it. I totally backup everyone who says that RD is great for big schedules. You can get so much done in the first hour. Last year, we hit RD and had a good chunk of our activities done before the crowds came in. By 10am, it felt like 2pm with our list. It was soo nice to feel accomplished and have free time to spare.

Thanks for your input! at you being too scared to ride Dinosaur!! I have to admit that it scares me everytime....but I just HAVE to ride it anyway. I 100% agree about rope drop!! We always try to make it, or at least arrive within 5-10 mins after. You really can get SO much done in those first couple of hours.

Love your list of attractions that you want to try for the first time! It's funny how the simple things get missed - would have done the same with the Walt Disney World Railroad and Wildlife Express Train Am now going to make sure these are included in our plans

Am looking forward to hearing how the new attractions fit in with the old time favourites - am hoping you do not have to sacrifice any of them

I really don't know how we missed some of those. It's so easy to just walk right past something and not even realize it.

Hello from Chattanooga - Wave as you go through. I am excited for yall. I hope the kiddos have a blast.

from Knoxville! We'll give you a shout out as we pass by!