October 2015 PTR: a “Halloweenie” and her Fearless Companion conquer their first HHN!

[Lynne G]

Stinks to see Steve's change in hours. Hope you enjoyed a long week-end. I did. Though today is Tuesday and already wishing it to be Friday. Back to school for us tomorrow also. Both in High School. Last year for DS, so next year will be so different. Ahh, growing up.

Had to look over my plans for the October trip. Deciding on where to eat lunch on the day I am transferring to Disney. Do I eat at USO, do I eat on the run, or do I eat at Disney and get ready for the party? Not sure. May be a good time to hit the Steak and Shake, then only need to nibble at the Party. Hmmm. I may hit the pizza place the day I arrive, as I'll be starving, as I hate to eat much before traveling. Plans, plans, plans. What I like the most at USO, is I don't really need one. Since the day I arrive will be a Horror night, I may just go into IOA to enjoy some nighttime in Potterland. I love all the lights and setting on a nice night. So, hoping we have great temps and no rain while in FLA.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Stinks to see Steve's change in hours. Hope you enjoyed a long week-end. I did. Though today is Tuesday and already wishing it to be Friday. Back to school for us tomorrow also. Both in High School. Last year for DS, so next year will be so different. Ahh, growing up.

Had to look over my plans for the October trip. Deciding on where to eat lunch on the day I am transferring to Disney. Do I eat at USO, do I eat on the run, or do I eat at Disney and get ready for the party? Not sure. May be a good time to hit the Steak and Shake, then only need to nibble at the Party. Hmmm. I may hit the pizza place the day I arrive, as I'll be starving, as I hate to eat much before traveling. Plans, plans, plans. What I like the most at USO, is I don't really need one. Since the day I arrive will be a Horror night, I may just go into IOA to enjoy some nighttime in Potterland. I love all the lights and setting on a nice night. So, hoping we have great temps and no rain while in FLA.

I had a good long weekend . We spent Sunday at my brother's trailer in Coe Hill (waaayyy out in the boonies) celebrating his 50th birthday. Weather was hot, hot, HOT so it was nice to get out of the city and breathe some fresh country air. Steve worked yesterday, and so did Sweetie, so Jake and I got the rare opportunity to just hang out together which was a nice way to end off the summer.

Good luck to your kiddos on their first day of school. The final year for your DS??? How exciting! Grad pictures, prom, senior trips....so much fun, the year will fly by for sure.

Plans, plans, plans indeed!! But fun stuff when you get down to that final month before travel . I agree fully, I love that every minute of the Universal portion of our vacations can be so spontaneous and fun. I'm pretty nervous about HHN but am doing what I can to work myself into it. Steve and I watched Insidious last weekend, and the Purge is next up (not this weekend, as Steve will be working....but perhaps the next one he is off).

Still watching the car rental prices, but no downward movement just yet!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

 

[ArwenMarie]

One month, yay!

How early do you start packing?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

One month, yay!

How early do you start packing?

When its just the two of us travelling, I don't start packing until a few days ahead of time. After this many trips, we're pretty efficient at getting things together . I do have a cheat sheet list already in progress, a little summary of things I am likely to forget in the last-minute frenzy, but otherwise.....I probably won't get out the suitcases until Monday the 5th.

I hate chaos in my house, though, so that's a big part of the reason too. My OCD wants order as long as it can be maintained, lol!

 

[pigletto]

We too find packing way easier these days Gina. I have a master list like yours that has all of the MUST NOT FORGET items. The rest is common sense I guess. I used to pack way more but the kids got older and we didn't need as much, and discovered what was never used.

One month to go for you!!! I'm excited for you!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We too find packing way easier these days Gina. I have a master list like yours that has all of the MUST NOT FORGET items. The rest is common sense I guess. I used to pack way more but the kids got older and we didn't need as much, and discovered what was never used.

One month to go for you!!! I'm excited for you!

Having a timeshare has definitely helped with us becoming better packers.....especially where clothing is concerned, we have learned to take so much less. With laundry facilities right in the villa, we no longer feel compelled to have to pack extras for every potential wardrobe disaster. We keep our technology minimal (cell phones and the laptop), we don't bring beach towels unless we are planning a visit to Daytona or Cocoa, and we don't have any little ones that need toys or other comfort necessities from home.

One of the few exceptions to my "pack light" rule is personal care products. I flatly refuse to compromise on hair care in particular......I don't care how much it weighs or how much room it takes in my luggage, I'm going to have my specific brand of shampoo, conditioner, hair spray and anti-frizz spray or else I'm not going . If for any reason luggage room is tight, we will stop at Walgreens on the day we arrive (thankfully there's one right on the corner by the entrance to the Vistana) and grab what I need to survive a week in the humid south.....at the end of our vacation, I would rather leave behind what I don't use than do without entirely. (good heavens, that sounds pathetic just to type...but yet...its true.... )

 

[ArwenMarie]

Having a timeshare has definitely helped with us becoming better packers.....especially where clothing is concerned, we have learned to take so much less. With laundry facilities right in the villa, we no longer feel compelled to have to pack extras for every potential wardrobe disaster. We keep our technology minimal (cell phones and the laptop), we don't bring beach towels unless we are planning a visit to Daytona or Cocoa, and we don't have any little ones that need toys or other comfort necessities from home.

I love love love having a washer/dryer. With four people in the Florida heat and touring the parks , it comes in handy to say the least. On our last trip, we were at Portofino (no w/d) and by the time we moved to the Villas at WL, every stitch of clothes was dirty. I was never so happy to see a washer-dryer! I agree too, you don't need to bring as much because you know you can run a load every day if you need to. I find if I run a small load every day I hardly come home with any dirty clothes, which is great too.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I find if I run a small load every day I hardly come home with any dirty clothes, which is great too.

Yes ma'am, that's exactly us too!!

Coming home sucks as it is. Coming home with a half dozen loads of dirty clothes sucks at a whole new level!!

 

[sk8jdgca]

Does thisw mean work with your dates? http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/food/os-billy-gardell-pizza-restaurant-orlando-post.html

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Does thisw mean work with your dates? http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/food/os-billy-gardell-pizza-restaurant-orlando-post.html

We arrive on the 10th . I will have to mention it to Steve....I'm not familiar with Billy Gardell, but he might be. Thanks for passing the info along!

 

[sk8jdgca]

He is Mike from Mike and Molly. He also hosted the million dollar monopoly game show

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

27 days and counting .

I just ordered a couple of swimsuits this evening (hope they fit!!) to be delivered to our park and fly hotel in Buffalo.

Fastpasses for our first MNSSHP can be made after midnight tonight. I have serious doubts I'll still be up then (and I'm not bothering to stay up, since I'm sure 99% of the really good ones are already gone anyway) so I'll just pick from what's left over breakfast in the morning. Fingers crossed we might be able to get one or two that we're hoping for!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well, it ended up to be a rather sleepless night here in our house (for me, anyway....Jake could sleep through a hurricane, I'm sure of it). Since Steve is working nights all weekend, Jake offered to watch The Purge with me to help me prepare for HHN (Steve and I watched Insidious last weekend....2 movies down, but still lots to go). It took me FOREVER to get to sleep after the movie, then we had a roaring thunderstorm just after 3 am -- complete with loss of power -- which jangled my nerves even more. I despise night time thunderstorms, especially when I'm alone in the bed!! Let's just say I couldn't get back to sleep after that....as the storm raged on and the power was still out, I was certain that one of those smiling Purge faces would walk through my bedroom door any moment. Once our hydro returned and I was able to peek my head out from my hiding place under the covers , I opted to take advantage of my wakefulness and make our FP+ selections for the first party. Things like the Mine Train were, not surprisingly, no longer available, but I was happy to be able to get Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Caribbean.....all rides that are "must do's" at some point during the two parties.

Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain will be two FP+ selections we'll try for on Wednesday, when our window opens for the second party. Again, I'm not holding out any kind of hope for Mine Train as I'm certain it won't be available anyway. I will probably only book the two FP's anyway, one in the 3:30 - 4:30 slot and the other in the 5:30 - 6:30 position since we have our dinner at the Plaza to work around on that second date.

It's another rainy, cool day for us here (2nd in a row ) so it shaping up to be a lazy Sunday (perfect after only 3 hours sleep). The Purge 2 might be in my future if the boy is up for it . Hope you are all having a great weekend, whatever you are up to!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Glad you're happy with your FP picks! I don't missing Mine Train is a big deal at all. It is a cute ride but it is SO short. I'd much rather ride the ones you got. And Splash is great too of course. And maybe you can jump on MT at some point in the evening.

I'm the worst sleeper when my husband is away on business trips. I seriously think I don't sleep all night even though I think I sleep. I have an alarm system, my mom even comes over, I have a dog, ugh, no reason not to sleep. Which stinks for me since he is away about 60 nights a year!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Glad you're happy with your FP picks! I don't missing Mine Train is a big deal at all. It is a cute ride but it is SO short. I'd much rather ride the ones you got. And Splash is great too of course. And maybe you can jump on MT at some point in the evening.

I'm the worst sleeper when my husband is away on business trips. I seriously think I don't sleep all night even though I think I sleep. I have an alarm system, my mom even comes over, I have a dog, ugh, no reason not to sleep. Which stinks for me since he is away about 60 nights a year!

Yeah, we're not too fussed up about the Mine Train. We want to give it a try if at all possible, but we're totally okay with trying to snag a seat near the very end of one of the MNSSHP's if needed. We've watched the youtube videos and its not a make-or-break attraction.....but yet, its new-to-us so we'll want to squeeze it in if we can. Just to say we've been there, rode that!

I hear ya on the sleeping . I especially miss the big guy in the winter because he's naturally warm and I'm always freezing. Its nice to have a human furnace to snuggle up to when my toes feel like ice cubes . And with no snoring next to me, its almost too quiet to sleep!!

 

[disappearingme]

Not sleeping is so harsh. Glad you were able to get your ressies.

A month left - that's when it starts to feel like fast forward to me.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

A month left - that's when it starts to feel like fast forward to me.

Amen, sister . I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to absolutely fly by.

 

[Monykalyn]

Yippe on getting fast passes done! Makes trip feel close.

Busy busy here- Saturday was my hospitals employee day at Silver Dollar City- true to Disney touring form we were their for our extra morning hour (for us employees and families only) and rope drop- then break in middle of day and back for employees/families only hours in the evening. Habits die hard LOL! For thrill junkies- Outlaw Run in the dark- well I haven't actually screamed like that on a coaster in a long time!

The Monster meal sounds like a blast! And Purge 2 is actually supposed to be better than first film. But definitely not something I'd watch alone!

 

[keishashadow]

He is Mike from Mike and Molly. He also hosted the million dollar monopoly game show

We love him in Pittsburgh, a home-town boy made good. He's supposed to be there for the opening waiting tables.

Gina we tentatively extended our trip, won't know if DH has to be back to work until the 4th but it looks good. in lieu of returning home on the 10th, our plan is to segue down to WDW for another 4 nights. Won't know which MNSSHP 12th or 13th until then, hoping either is still available but don't want to buy them and get stuck.

Is the HHN meet still on for the 11th? Was going to try & convince DH to make the drive.

ps will plop down a shameless plug for a pre/trip report I started here