Off to see Mickey MEOWS and Snow WIPE again!! A Nov 2012 PTR! W/Pictures

[JayhawkFans]

Loving your PTR so far. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to add photos but I know it adds so much more to the report. I know if I ask DH he will say absolutely NOT .. Maybe I'll just add pics of DD to my report. We'll see.

You have a beautiful family. I would have no problems driving if I had unlimited vacation time. I prefer to pack the kitchen sink when I travel so having to fly is not my favorite method of transportation.

Looking forward to following along on your report.

 

[reyasmommy]

Good Morning everyone!

I hope you all had a good weekend, and all the Father’s out there enjoyed their Father’s Day!

My kids and I made DH’s Father’s Day card this year… He LOVED it and we had so much fun making it. ((Dh has the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I’ve ever know)) It was a BIG hit!

I also finished the kids bathroom. I've been meaning to turn it into something they would both like. So Mickey Mouse seemed like a good choice! There is just something about seeing Mickey Mouse’s face every morning that puts a smile on your face.

I didn’t get much accomplished as far as my trip planning is concerned. I was going to decide on the places we’d be staying during our drive out but I keep going back and forth as to whether or not we can afford to add an extra day to our vacation. If so we’ll be leaving a day early or staying a day later so it’s too soon to make any decisions on our driving days
.
I sat on the couch for hours though trying to decide what Park we would be at on certain days. Right now this is what I’ve decided on.

Nov 13th- Epcot
Nov-14th-Animal Kingdom
Nov-18th-Magic Kingdom
November 19th- Disney Studios
November 20th- Magic Kingdom
November 21st- Unknown ((whatever park we decide we didn’t get enough of))

So today I need to work on plans for our Epcot Day.
Any suggestions on where to eat and on things we could do besides the obvious like Soarin and Mission Space?
I was also wondering if any of you have been to WDW during Thanksgiving break? If so what are the crowds like? Are they as crazy as Spring Break?
​

 

[AshleeH]

Just google mapped driving directions from my home to Disney World.

1,864 Miles
30 hours

Please tell me you have a DVD player in your car! Lol! We are looking at a 30 hour drive next year when we drive to Disneyland - DH is dreading it, but I'm looking forward to it since we'll be stopping at a lot of places along the way .

If it helps, our plan is to drive as far as possible each day (whether that's 8 hours or 13) and find a place in our AAA guide to stop for the night - we're hoping that means we'll get closer to our destination, rather than pre-choosing spots to stop .

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[reyasmommy]

Loving your PTR so far. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to add photos but I know it adds so much more to the report. I know if I ask DH he will say absolutely NOT .. Maybe I'll just add pics of DD to my report. We'll see.

You have a beautiful family. I would have no problems driving if I had unlimited vacation time. I prefer to pack the kitchen sink when I travel so having to fly is not my favorite method of transportation.

Looking forward to following along on your report.

welcome and thanks for reading. I pack WAY too much so driving is the better choice for us. The baggage fees these days add up so fast and it's just not worth it to fly anymore. I used to work for the airlines and could fly for free, I sure miss those days.

I mostly liked it for day trips or weekend get aways. I don't know how many times I'd fly to vegas for the day or go shopping at Mall of America and fly back home later that day. So fun... Also went to Pleasure Island in DTD for a bachlorette party once. Awe, those were the days.

Please tell me you have a DVD player in your car! Lol! We are looking at a 30 hour drive next year when we drive to Disneyland - DH is dreading it, but I'm looking forward to it since we'll be stopping at a lot of places along the way .

If it helps, our plan is to drive as far as possible each day (whether that's 8 hours or 13) and find a place in our AAA guide to stop for the night - we're hoping that means we'll get closer to our destination, rather than pre-choosing spots to stop .

Looking forward to reading more!

Ohhhhh Yeah we do. It's a lifesaver. We used to have one of those ones that you strap to the back of the seats, but it was such a pain in the behind with the wires everywhere. We decided to just have one installed in the van that pulls down from the roof. LOVE it.

We STOP a lot along the way. I try to get the kids out of the car to stretch their legs as much as possible. I'm also planning on buying a bunch of stuff from the dollar store as rewards for good behavior. Everytime we stop and they've been good they can pick a prize out of the bag.

I used to just stop whenever we got tired. Then I ran into the problem of getting to a hotel and it being booked full or be priced way more then I wanted to pay. This way I know how much I'm paying and that there will be room for us. I do sorta miss just going with the flow and seeing where we end up, it was fun NOT knowing.

Thanks for Reading. Happy to have you here!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Love the bathroom and the Father's Day card! He must have been pleased. The bathroom is so adorable!

 

[reyasmommy]

I really need some suggestions on where to eat in Epcot. My kids are really picky and I'm leary about eating at at table service restaurant. I was thinking about Biergarten Restaurant, Nine Dragons, and Via Napoli? Anybody have any advice about these three? We were also discussing just nibbling throughout World showcase? Has anyone else done this? Nachos in mexican, Fish in Chips in the United Kingdom, Bratwurst in Germany, etc, etc .... I think that sounds like more fun, but also sounds like a quick way to get a belly ache.

 

[megan511]

oh wow, I love your children's bathroom! That is so adorable! The father's day card is super cute. You are very creative.

We love snacking around World Showcase! Most of the CS places have some normal kids food so I think even picky eaters would be fine. We would get a snack at the countries and split everything so we didnt get too full. It was one of our favorite meals!

We have not been to any of those restaurants. We have been to Akershus, Coral Reef and Chefs de France. We really liked Coral Reef although I know it gets mixed reviews. They had a child's menu then also offered pizza for kids. Chefs had a kids burger and chicken tenders I think. My son got the burger. Epcot has so many choices!

 

[holleypie]

Oh my goodness, that's a drive! I bought a children's road trip activity book (for myself, haha) but I haven't looked through it yet so I'm not sure if something like that would be age-appropriate for your kids. I haven't even started imagining how we're going to pass the time with Luke. I miss the days when he fell asleep as soon as we put him in the car seat!

I wish I had dining suggestions but we've eaten practically NOWHERE in Epcot even though it's my favorite park. I love Sunshine Seasons because there's a lot of variety. I thought the food at Akershus was really good but my husband wasn't crazy about it (and it's kind of crazy expensive). I think sharing snacks around World Showcase is a great idea.

 

[starbound25]

How did I miss your bathroom post! haha I LOVE it!

This will be the first time my girls have been to Epcot and I'm not sure where to eat either

There is a good app I have on my ipad called Disney World Wait times (free)
it shows the maps of the parks and the rides and wait times, as well as if you click on the ride it will give you the info on it including height requirements
but you can click on all the restaurants and it will give you a little info on each one HTH!

 

[reyasmommy]

Love the bathroom and the Father's Day card! He must have been pleased. The bathroom is so adorable!

Thank you

oh wow, I love your children's bathroom! That is so adorable! The father's day card is super cute. You are very creative.

We love snacking around World Showcase! Most of the CS places have some normal kids food so I think even picky eaters would be fine. We would get a snack at the countries and split everything so we didnt get too full. It was one of our favorite meals!

We have not been to any of those restaurants. We have been to Akershus, Coral Reef and Chefs de France. We really liked Coral Reef although I know it gets mixed reviews. They had a child's menu then also offered pizza for kids. Chefs had a kids burger and chicken tenders I think. My son got the burger. Epcot has so many choices!

Thank you! Mickey Mouse was the only thing the kids could agree on... I think it's pretty fun. Will LOVED his card. We're living on a budget saving for our trip, so it as a bit of a present/card in one. He loves, loves, loves chocolate.

I'm thinking that's what we're going to do.... Snack around World Showcase. Hopefully we won't have a belly ache at the end of the night. Guess I should brings some pepto, gas x, and tums with me to epcot?

I've always wanted to try Coral Reef, but my husband refuses to eat anything that swims in the sea... Even the smell bothers him.

Oh my goodness, that's a drive! I bought a children's road trip activity book (for myself, haha) but I haven't looked through it yet so I'm not sure if something like that would be age-appropriate for your kids. I haven't even started imagining how we're going to pass the time with Luke. I miss the days when he fell asleep as soon as we put him in the car seat!

I wish I had dining suggestions but we've eaten practically NOWHERE in Epcot even though it's my favorite park. I love Sunshine Seasons because there's a lot of variety. I thought the food at Akershus was really good but my husband wasn't crazy about it (and it's kind of crazy expensive). I think sharing snacks around World Showcase is a great idea.

Jayden doesn't sleep well in the car either. He'll fall asleep and once the car comes to a stop even for a second he's awake.

How did I miss your bathroom post! haha I LOVE it!

This will be the first time my girls have been to Epcot and I'm not sure where to eat either

There is a good app I have on my ipad called Disney World Wait times (free)
it shows the maps of the parks and the rides and wait times, as well as if you click on the ride it will give you the info on it including height requirements
but you can click on all the restaurants and it will give you a little info on each one HTH!

Glad you like it...

I'm going to have to check out that app.... What is the name? i know there's a few different disney park apps out there?

 

[starbound25]

the app is simply called
Disney World Wait Times (free) or paid

 

[reyasmommy]

November 13th- Tuesday
Epcot
Hours- 8am-9pm

Must-Do’s

1. As many character greetings and autograph signings that we can. Our goal is to get a minimum of 5 autographs a day.

** I’m hoping and praying that by the time we leave for our trip, Jayden will still not be afraid of the Characters. I want to get lots of great pictures of my kids and the characters. ((Cross your fingers))

** I need to check out ebay and see if I can purchase an autograph book or see if there are any deals on the Disney Store website.

**This is the one I bought my niece during a previous trip... Had a place where you could pictures in the inside. Loved it.

2. Pin-trading
** Reya has a ton of pins, problem is I have no idea where they are right now? We just recently moved and they have yet to be found. If I can’t find them I’ll have to buy some on ebay. This is one of Reyas favorite things to do while at Disney. I’m not sure if Jayden will be into this or not? Probably too young? Reya started at 3, but didn’t really understand the concept at the time.

**Reya checking out her first pin lanyard

3. Enjoy everything at a pace we’re comfortable with. Don’t feel rushed and know that this isn’t the LAST time we’re going to be at Disney.
** Our last few visits we were with other family members. We felt like we had to do everything they wanted to and didn’t take our time to just enjoy our surroundings. I like to plan ahead, but commando just isn’t fun in my opinion. We need to “stop and smell the roses”.

4. Soarin
** 1st attraction of the day! This is one of my favorite rides, and DD LOVES it almost as much as I do. Hopefully there won’t be a long wait and we can just get right on and grab a Child Swap and Fast Pass?
** I hate that you can’t take strollers into this building. The hardest part of the trip is going to be keeping track of Jayden and keeping him happy while we’re taking turns riding some of the rides that he can’t ride. He can’t sit still for more than 2 minutes and gets into everything he’s not supposed to. I’m thinking we could maybe take him in to see the Lion King show while we’re waiting if it happens to be playing at the same time. That or we’ll just have to stuff his mouth with food at the food court while waiting? I really don’t want to bring his “leash” if we don’t have to.

5. Living with the Land
** Might bore the kids but, I always enjoy this attraction.

6. The Seas with Nemo and Friends

7. Turtle Talk with Crush

** Last time we saw this show Reya was almost 4 years old. She was sitting up in the front row with her cousins and seemed to be enjoying herself before the show started. Then here comes CRUSH swimming towards the audience and swims fast and hard and “crashes” into the “glass” of the human tank. Next thing you hear is Reya scream at the top of her lungs and jumped up off of the floor. She was in tears because she was so terrified. The whole theatre is stunned and Crush is at a loss for words. I had to run up to her and tried to comfort her while everyone was staring at us. I can’t remember what Crush said to us because she was holding onto me and crying into my ear. My sweet sister in law finally took her hand and took her out of the room so the rest of us could enjoy the show. I still to this day don’t understand why it scared her so bad.
I’m hoping Jayden can sit still long enough to watch this show.

**Right before Reya’s freak out

8. Explore the aquarium and let the kids play around the Shark World area.
​

 

[mnrhannah07]

Great Report so far! Hope you dont mind me joining in! lol we are going to DW and DCL in Nov as well...Actually with pretty close days! We are going to be at DW from Nov 5th-9th, then going on the Fantasy from the 10th-17th. We too will be staying in the mermaid room while there..This is actually our first time staying onsite in our 5 times going...It's funny, we have the same thought about paying the same place for a small room at Disney or a huge 2 bedroom condo with a FULL kitchen AND washer/dryer! But the heck, sometimes you have to leave alittle! We can always do wash BEFORE our cruise. You will Love the Dream! We did a B2B last Nov and really enjoyed it more then the Wonder...Anywho, can't wait for more updates!

Oh yea, wanted to ask how's the no soda going? I detoxed myself off last year and it was horrible..I say detox because some people don't understand it can totally be an addiction! I was drinking at least 5-6 cans A DAY! When I would try to stop, I would get such a headache and then grab a soda to ease the pain! It's such a cycle! But on the good side, I'm offically not an addict anymore and I only have a soda while out or on vacation..I never thought I'd see the day that I my house wasn't stocked with 12 packs!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I'm here!! How tall is Jayden?

 

[reyasmommy]

Great Report so far! Hope you dont mind me joining in! lol we are going to DW and DCL in Nov as well...Actually with pretty close days! We are going to be at DW from Nov 5th-9th, then going on the Fantasy from the 10th-17th. We too will be staying in the mermaid room while there..This is actually our first time staying onsite in our 5 times going...It's funny, we have the same thought about paying the same place for a small room at Disney or a huge 2 bedroom condo with a FULL kitchen AND washer/dryer! But the heck, sometimes you have to leave alittle! We can always do wash BEFORE our cruise. You will Love the Dream! We did a B2B last Nov and really enjoyed it more then the Wonder...Anywho, can't wait for more updates!

Oh yea, wanted to ask how's the no soda going? I detoxed myself off last year and it was horrible..I say detox because some people don't understand it can totally be an addiction! I was drinking at least 5-6 cans A DAY! When I would try to stop, I would get such a headache and then grab a soda to ease the pain! It's such a cycle! But on the good side, I'm offically not an addict anymore and I only have a soda while out or on vacation..I never thought I'd see the day that I my house wasn't stocked with 12 packs!

I'm HAPPY to have you here.

Where do you usually stay? We stayed at a place call Lighthouse Key Resort a few years ago and it was AMAZING! Was a 3 bedroom/3 bath/ beautiful resort and I think we paid $140.00 a day? So, yeah it's hard to go from a 1500 sqare foot condo to a 400 square foot room. However there is nothing like staying on property... You'll love it! Plus it's nice knowing we're staying in a brand new room.

Ahhh, I wish I could afford a 7 day cruise.... I will someday... Disney is WAY overpriced when it comes to their cruises, but WOW .. So much fun!!

"Detoxing" is going pretty well! It's hard... very, very hard!!! I've hit 10 days with a soda though! So proud of myself... That's great that you've managed to not drink any in so long... Congrats!

I'm here!! How tall is Jayden?

Hello! ... Ummmm, I'm not sure? He's taking a nap right now, so when he wakes I'll measure him.

 

[reyasmommy]

So I received my personalized Maps from Disney World yesterday! So Happy!!
Also received my reservations from AAA.. NOT so happy!! In the envelope they sent me it didn’t have the leg of my trip that included 3 days at AoA and my 6 day park tickets?? I emailed my TA and she responded today that she didn’t have me down for any tickets… WHAT?!?!?!? I emailed her back and told her they charged me three separate deposits and she better have me down for tickets. I’m freaking out a little bit waiting for her to call or email me. In my opinion I think she needs to consider retiring. She didn’t seem all there when I made my original reservations… Hope everything is okay so I can chill out.

Just curious…. When do most of you start making your count-down calendars… Think 142 days out is too early?!? Seems like a lot of work and I’ll probably need more than 1 poster board?
​

 

[mnrhannah07]

We have stayed everytime at westgate town center...Its the newest edition to the westgate vacation villas..Their amenties are always top when considering other places to stay..We took our first Disney Cruise Nov 2010 and I never thought it was something we could keep doing yearly due to the high cost. I too am a stay at home mom, so funds are pretty well precalculated every check lol But last Feb I started babysitting for a friend of mine and help offset the cost of the trip

Anywho, I was doing some pricing earlier today and was debating on going another route as far as booking the Disney World leg of the trip..If I could find someone to rent me their DVC points for $10 a point, I could buy the dining plan and tickets seperate and only cost about $50 more, plus it would be an animal kingdom studio! I posted on a few people's threads that were offering points at that price, so I'll see..Not totally sure how it all works since I'm new to staying onsite..

 

[BearcatsFan]

So I received my personalized Maps from Disney World yesterday! So Happy!!
Also received my reservations from AAA.. NOT so happy!! In the envelope they sent me it didn’t have the leg of my trip that included 3 days at AoA and my 6 day park tickets?? I emailed my TA and she responded today that she didn’t have me down for any tickets… WHAT?!?!?!? I emailed her back and told her they charged me three separate deposits and she better have me down for tickets. I’m freaking out a little bit waiting for her to call or email me. In my opinion I think she needs to consider retiring. She didn’t seem all there when I made my original reservations… Hope everything is okay so I can chill out.

Just curious…. When do most of you start making your count-down calendars… Think 142 days out is too early?!? Seems like a lot of work and I’ll probably need more than 1 poster board?
​

Uhoh, this is not good news! Hope everything gets straightened out for you!

Congrats on the 10 days of no soda!

 

[reyasmommy]

Well, I'm freaking out and have been on the verge of tears all afternoon. My stupid TA emailed me back and says. "Sorry, but Disney has you leaving on Nov 21st NOT Nov 22nd? Sorry!!!! "" "We can get you into POP on the 21st for a day, but you'll need to pay another deposit" ............................... WHAT!!!!!!!!!! According to the reservations they sent me in the mail I'm booked 4 nights!! They charged me 4 Nights!!! And now they don't have any rooms left on the 21st!! I called Disney and they can't do anything because it was booked through a travel agent and they show me booked/leaving on the 21st!! And they don't show reservations for my stay before the cruise at all! Of course it's after hours and I can't get ahold of anyone at the travel agency. So now my blood pressure is way hight until tomorrow morning. My discover card does show 3 seperate deposits totalling over $700.00

 

[disprincessesmom1012]

I'm here!!! Ive had your ptr opened and finally got around to reading it. First your kids are so cute! Second I dunno how I would survive a drive like that. My kids wouldnt make it to the final destination.

We have only been to Disney once but caught the bug right away. In Epcot we ate at Askershus, the food was weird but the atmosphere was great. We were on the dining plan though. DBF ate at Morocco but I am picky and have a funny tummy that hates almost all ethnic foods so I hate at a very American QS, cant remember name but its right across from the boat dock to go into WS. We will be checking out some new places in Sept when we go as Epcot was DBF fave park.

And I would see about tranferring your reservation to a new TA or to yourself so you can correct everything. Make the TA pay for her mistakes. Thats such crap. I hope you get it all worked out!