OFFICIAL JULY 2009 THREAD!!! (Part 2) It's here!!

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Well guys.

I'm logging on for the last time before August 2.

See ya real soon!

Have a great trip!!

 

[emcreative]

Well guys.

I'm logging on for the last time before August 2.

See ya real soon!

Happy Traveling,a nd perhaps we'll pass at Disney!

 

[2littlez'sandme]

I know that dolphinjuls and I are both scheduled to be in the Magic Kingdom on the 27th. Will anyone else be in that park or be interested in a meet that day?

BFF and I will be @ EPCOT on the 27th, but we could swing by MK- if the timing is right. LMK what time & where. I'll see what we can do.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

Wow! Almost everyone is there now. I'll be there in just a few more days. Have a great trip everyone.

 

[HicksWDW]

Well we are pretty much packed! Just a few cosmetic items left after we get ready in the morning. I can't believe the time has finally arrived. Time has flown. We plan on leaving tomorrow afternoon after church and going at least half way. That way we won't have so far to drive Monday and can spend part of the day in the parks. I am kinda worried about the rain % chance. The weather channel says scattered t-storms. So, that could mean we might get lucky and not get rain every day.

The boards have gotten extremely quiet. I hope when we get back we will get to share with everyone our experiences. Have a safe and fun trip. Take care.

Tara

 

[emcreative]

Well we are pretty much packed! Just a few cosmetic items left after we get ready in the morning. I can't believe the time has finally arrived. Time has flown. We plan on leaving tomorrow afternoon after church and going at least half way. That way we won't have so far to drive Monday and can spend part of the day in the parks. I am kinda worried about the rain % chance. The weather channel says scattered t-storms. So, that could mean we might get lucky and not get rain every day.

The boards have gotten extremely quiet. I hope when we get back we will get to share with everyone our experiences. Have a safe and fun trip. Take care.

Tara

We're leaving early, too! Gonna stay near the hotel since our flight leaves at 7:15 am. Then a whole day of Disney magic!

 

[cwnhokie]

I hope everyone is having a great time. I got the suitcases out today and continue to do laundry. I just can't seem to get it together for this trip. I'm going to run out of time. The baby has a fever. He has gotten one each month since January, hopefully he'll be all better by Wednesday when we leave and nobody else gets sick.

 

[emcreative]

One more thing before we go:

We'll be staying at Pop and hope to have this up on the door or in the window (among other signs). Leave us a message if you "find" us there!

 

[flipflopmom]

Seriously. Miserably. Terribly. Exhaustingly. HOT! Tour groups - EVERYWHERE. If you see them coming, RUN in the direction they came from. If they are in front of you, forget it, your wait time just went up by a ton. If their leader is in a line to get at FP, they will have 20 tickets or more each. They like to save spots and get in spots for Wishes, fireworks, parades at least 1 1/2 early... Fantasmic was standing room only at 8 pm for a 9pm show. Take lots of extra undies and clothes. Do morning EMH and rope drop to get it done, b/c noon -5 are so hot and stormy that you just want to sit somewhere cool. DHS was great for that. Twice as much water as you think you'll want. Didn't do any pm EMH. Get the BIG misting fan, we had small ones and they didn't cut it! Be forewarned, the AC isn't as cool in the park attractions as we had hoped, some were almost hot! If you are taking a stroller, go to the dollar store and get a cheapo shower curtain. Before you get in line, cover it and clothespin it in the back. Those showers can open up in a hurry!

That being said, it was the most wonderful week of my life! We had a blast, lots of pixie dust. Buses were great. Girls got to wake up tinkerbell one morning, they got to open Chef Mickey's and walk down a red carpet with MIckey, have private time with him, and sign his autograph book. DD was in the HSM show at DHS, danced with the bellydancer at Marakeesh....

Our fireworks cruise with Lois was GREAT!!!!! We chatted a lot at AK one day, too. It was so exciting! Ran into Carrie in Tomorrowland, and met Shir Khan with a fridge swap... No other Dis sightings, though. For those two or three of you left, ask away!

 

[dolfinjuls]

Wow the heat has me a bit worried! I know we'll have an amazing time regardless though! Glad you had a great time! It seems like your girls had a lot of special moments!

 

[Grandma4ever]

Wow the heat has me a bit worried! I know we'll have an amazing time regardless though! Glad you had a great time! It seems like your girls had a lot of special moments!

Drink lots of water! Sodas will not cut it. I could tell if I had not drank enough as I would begin to feel weak and sick. WATER WATER & MORE WATER!!!!

The misting fan will also help. I also agree with the suggestions on the tour groups! They are a big mess and very rude!

 

[Disneyglitz]

Seriously. Miserably. Terribly. Exhaustingly. HOT! Tour groups - EVERYWHERE. If you see them coming, RUN in the direction they came from. If they are in front of you, forget it, your wait time just went up by a ton. If their leader is in a line to get at FP, they will have 20 tickets or more each. They like to save spots and get in spots for Wishes, fireworks, parades at least 1 1/2 early... Fantasmic was standing room only at 8 pm for a 9pm show. Take lots of extra undies and clothes. Do morning EMH and rope drop to get it done, b/c noon -5 are so hot and stormy that you just want to sit somewhere cool. DHS was great for that. Twice as much water as you think you'll want. Didn't do any pm EMH. Get the BIG misting fan, we had small ones and they didn't cut it! Be forewarned, the AC isn't as cool in the park attractions as we had hoped, some were almost hot! If you are taking a stroller, go to the dollar store and get a cheapo shower curtain. Before you get in line, cover it and clothespin it in the back. Those showers can open up in a hurry!

That being said, it was the most wonderful week of my life! We had a blast, lots of pixie dust. Buses were great. Girls got to wake up tinkerbell one morning, they got to open Chef Mickey's and walk down a red carpet with MIckey, have private time with him, and sign his autograph book. DD was in the HSM show at DHS, danced with the bellydancer at Marakeesh....

Our fireworks cruise with Lois was GREAT!!!!! We chatted a lot at AK one day, too. It was so exciting! Ran into Carrie in Tomorrowland, and met Shir Khan with a fridge swap... No other Dis sightings, though. For those two or three of you left, ask away!

I'm leaving tomorrow, thanks for the tips they will help out alot
On crowd level what number would you give it?

 

[flipflopmom]

As far as the crowds go, other than the tour groups they were VERY manageable. We utilized Fastpass to it's fullest, and only waited more than 15 minutes or more for most things. We couldn't use FP very well at DHS, and DD and I waited an hour for Rockin Roller Coaster and we waited 45 minutes to see the fairies. Even TT without FP at 9:30, wait time said 40 minutes, and we waited and rode in less than 30... Soarin seemed like it took a long time... We had to rider swap almost all the big stuff, it was a big help, but we still took almost an hour per ride that we used it on.. 20-30 minutes or so to wait in FP line and ride each time.

 

[FlyingPegasus]

We had a blast!

Started with the dolphin experience at Epcot:

Took a picture with Sorcerer Mickey:

Did a fireworks boat cruise on my birthday:

Oh and we saw some really great fireworks from our balcony. I got my first ever digital camera for my birthday, was playing with the settings and I really like the way this picture came out:

Ok, one more of me & mickey:

Thank you VMK for giving me the greatest gift that I will have forever! My Twisted Sister: qruthie!

Was rough going back to work this week!

 

[FlyingPegasus]

We had dinner at the Garden Grill and had a great time with the characters.

Chip and Dale were both fascinated with my dd, they kept sneaking up on her from behind and giving her hugs:

Mickey and Pluto were fascinated with my crown, they kept stealing it and putting it on!

Here is the view we had of the fireworks from the boat cruise:

 

[Naisy68]

Ok - here's my story --
90% of the packing is complete!! Just have to put the carry-on's together and get our meds, and bathroom stuff ready to go. We managed to get the clothes for all four of us into 2 large suitcases, yeah!! However, I'm still thinking we will need a 3rd suitcase to check in as we have no shoes packed and I don't want to carry-on all of our bathroom items.
Today, we are super cleaning the house, mowing the yard and getting ready for my DD's 8th birthday tomorrow. My parents are driving across tomorrow for her birthday dinner tomorrow night. Luckily, my DD requested a fairly simple meal and my sister's secret recipe strawberry cheesecake so I won't have to spend a lot of tomorrow in the kitchen. She requested, grilled pork, salad with lots of cucumbers, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes. Pretty simple, right?
Tomorrow is the big birthday - we don't have a lot planned yet, just gonna finish up all the last minute stuff and double check everything. Then we are going to just kinda relax and enjoy the day hopefully. The birthday dinner is tomorrow night after everyone gets here. We will pack the car tomorrow night then and I'm aiming for a half-way decent bedtime.
Tuesday - sleep in and wait for my DH who wants to work a half-day. Then hopefully we will leave for Denver by 2:00 - 3:00pm. We are driving to Denver and staying there for the night before our plane leaves for Orlando (direct flight, yeah!! ) Wednesday morning.
THEN we are going to spend the next 7 days living the Magic of Disney!!
Sooo - here's my little dance for you all...

 

[Crazy Kanga]

Ok I finally started pre packing today. That means washing sorting and stacking peoples clothes. I am usually already packed by this point, but for some reason I can't get it together. Oh well just a few more days and we'll be on our way so I guess I better get my rear in gear.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

1 week to go!!

DW & DS5 are in Buffalo, NY (they'll go to Harrisburg, PA on Thursday).

Here are a few pictures from THEIR trip so far.

Speedy's first plane ride:

DS watching his cousins play hockey:

DS and his cousins at the Buffalo Zoo:

 

[sabrecmc]

We just returned and had an absolute blast. We were at POFQ. The crowds were really not that bad, if you do rope drop/EMH...sure, some rides had long waits (Peter Pan, Test Track, Pixies, Rockin' Roller Coaster...), but honestly, most were not bad. Last night, Jungle cruise was a 10 minute wait at 6pm. There were lots of the Brazillian tour groups there...I think it helped that I have a 3 year old and we weren't headed on many of the same rides as those groups. Still, my brother and I did Everest with fastpass and then went back in the 25 minute stand-by line around 10am one day. So, not all that bad really.

Some other things:

Le Cellier and O'Hana are really that good. Surprisingly, we also really enjoyed the Plaza and Tony's at MK and Sci-Fi at DHS. The Hollywood & Vine Play & Dine was the best character meal as far as interaction goes. There was hardly anyone there though. That was a shame. At Chef Mickey's, the characters just sort of flew by (sign, pose, pose, hug, bye). It was nice, but my daughter gushed about Goliath playing peekaboo with her.

The Pirate League and BBB were both lots of fun, but for a girl, I thought you got more at BBB, since they did the hair. Also, the pirate that my daughter had, while awesome, was clearly not so familiar with putting on nailpolish, though he put forth an admirable effort! The secret room was cool and my daughter was thrilled with the whole thing, so I'm not saying we wouldn't totally do it again, but if I had to pick, I'd do BBB again with her. We followed that up with dinner at Chef Mickey's and then the Pirate and Pals Fireworks cruise. I cannot recommend that enough! It was awesome! What a gorgeous view of the castle and fireworks. Plus, Capt. Hook, Mr. Smee and Peter Pan...my daughter was delighted. Our host, "Patch", was great. I was surprised how much we all laughed and enjoyed it.

It is very hot. If at all possible, leave between 1 and 4. I know its hard to do, but it is the best thing for you, I swear! With a 3 year old, I sort of have to, but I'm always really glad for the break and cool-down.

Hope those of you heading down shortly have a magical time!

 

[Disneyglitz]

Mickey and Pluto were fascinated with my crown, they kept stealing it and putting it on!

hday%202009/DSCF3588.jpg[/IMG]

lol..that's so funny and cute