OK, I've got the ticker....Poly in August!!!

[PracPerfPatricia]

Happy Belated Birthday to Bradey...



I hope it was awesome!!!

6 wow... big guy...
​

BTW... good luck with all the stuff on your plate right now... Life happens and you have to deal with it... the Dis will still be here waiting...

 

[Chicago Mo]

Thanks girls I am still hoping I can go....I just wanted to let you know that I won't be updating here much until I know for sure what is going to happen. Yesterday was not a good day for me and I think I was a little stressed out. Check that...I WAS a little stressed out, but I know things will work out and I just have to keep my chin up. I could never go without my DIS for very long....it is seriously the only thing keeping me going right now. Well, that and my wonderful little man! Who by the way just turned 6 yesterday!

I'm Sorry If there is anything i can do please let me know..
On a happier note: Happy birthday!!!

 

[t_daniels]

Oh geez. I'm sorry!

 

[DMGeurts]

I just wanted to say hi and tell you I am thinking of you... (((Hugs)))

D~ <---- Who refuses to let this PTR die.

 

[Pixiedust530]

Sorry to hear that you are having a tough time right now Suzi. Sometimes life just gets the best of us. In the end, I am sure that you will come out on top. Don't be a stranger...even if you aren't updating the PTR! Thinking about you!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hi faithful DIS friends Just wanted to stop by and let you know that at this time I do not feel I can give you all your deserve for this PTR. I have alot of "stuff" going on in my life right now that needs my attention. I admit, I am not handling things very well right now and am slightly....okay more than slightly overwhelmed with life right now. Major changes coming up for me and my family and I need to focus on that. I am honestly not sure we will be going to Disney at all next year. I hope I am wrong because I could really really use an escape from reality right about now. But I will keep you informed if things change.

I will still be around here on the DIS, and I think by not continuing this PTR, I can devote more time to keeping up with my subscriptions....I hope... :

I'm sorry to read this.

Don't be a stranger and I hope things turn around for you.

Keep well.

 

[KatMark]

Suzi, I'm so sorry you are having a difficult time in life right now. I hope things improve for you soon. You were there for me with everything that went on with Mark's mom and my mom, and I am here for you.

 

[Angies1274]

So sorry...

But, on a brighter note.....Happy Belated Birthday to Bradey!! I hope he had a great day!!

 

[solana131]

Happy Belated Birthday to Bradey...

I hope it was awesome!!!

6 wow... big guy...

BTW... good luck with all the stuff on your plate right now... Life happens and you have to deal with it... the Dis will still be here waiting...

Thanks so much for the bday wishes for Bradey! It was a great party...very low-key, but we had great weather, so they all got to play outside. Thank Goodness! Too many little ones in my small house gets me on edge

I'm Sorry If there is anything i can do please let me know..
On a happier note: Happy birthday!!!

Thanks Mo....I know, I have some of the best DISfriends ever! You guys make me feel like you are right down the road and I can call anytime I just had a little stress overload and couldn't deal with it all at once. Minor breakdown and things are back on track...I hope

Oh geez. I'm sorry!

No worries...things will work themselves out, I am sure. I am NOT cancelling my trip...just wanted to let you all know that I may not update here as often as need be until things straighten out at home and work.

I just wanted to say hi and tell you I am thinking of you... (((Hugs)))

D~ <---- Who refuses to let this PTR die.

Thanks D

Sorry to hear that you are having a tough time right now Suzi. Sometimes life just gets the best of us. In the end, I am sure that you will come out on top. Don't be a stranger...even if you aren't updating the PTR! Thinking about you!

"Sometimes life just gets the best of us." Yep that pretty much sums it up! Thanks for understanding!

I'm sorry to read this.

Don't be a stranger and I hope things turn around for you.

Keep well.

Thanks! Things are getting better. Or I'm just learning to deal with them...one or the other

Suzi, I'm so sorry you are having a difficult time in life right now. I hope things improve for you soon. You were there for me with everything that went on with Mark's mom and my mom, and I am here for you.

Thanks Kathy! You guys are the best!

So sorry...

But, on a brighter note.....Happy Belated Birthday to Bradey!! I hope he had a great day!!

Thanks Angie! He had a wonderful birthday....we are so blessed with great friends and family!




So....we still aren't certain what is happening next year, but I am keeping with my plan for October 12-19th and we will just see what the new year brings for us. I haven't booked this trip yet and I don't plan to until after we get our taxes back in February. So that gives me lots of time to figure things out. Our friends still want to go, but are on-board with waiting til tax refund time.

We still can't decide where to stay. AKL is nudging into my thoughts alot lately. Mostly because I want to try Boma for breakfast, but I most certainly want to have dinner there too. So with the long bus ride, I think it might be good to just stay there. Anyone ever stayed at AKL without the savanna view?? Is it worth it? I just can't see spending that kind of money when we are barely in our room. There are lots of viewing areas around the resort that we can still see the animals...right? A savanna view room is almost as much as the Poly and I'm sorry, but if I am spending that much...I am going to my Poly!

So thoughts on AKL without savanna view???

 

[Chicago Mo]

How was the birthday bash?!?!?!

i'm excited for you and AKL. Keep on truckin you will get back there in October!!!!!! I KNOW YOU WILL!!!

Remember much love hugs and happiness
whenever you need I am here for ya!!!

 

[t_daniels]

We love the view....but the resort has so many viewing spots you can sit and observe. The highback rocking chairs are great.

 

[solana131]

How was the birthday bash?!?!?!

i'm excited for you and AKL. Keep on truckin you will get back there in October!!!!!! I KNOW YOU WILL!!!

Remember much love hugs and happiness
whenever you need I am here for ya!!!

The birthday party was great. Very low-key, I didn't do any fancy theme or anything, but we had great weather and the kids got to play outside for the whole party. I just made my own cake (posted on FB) and it came out great. Very yummy new recipe with lots of butter And I just had chips/veggies and dip type finger foods.

Oh, I am definitely going back in 2013...just not sure when and with whom. To be honest...my original plan was to go with just Bradey and I in Nov, but I moved to Oct so I could meet D....if she isn't going in Oct now, I'm not sure I would either. Maybe just a quick summer trip with Bradey and then wait until our usual Feb trip. Feb is much more fun because the weather is cooler and the crowds are non-existant. We will see. I definitely can't swing Feb 2013, but don't want to wait until Feb 2014...so if go the Feb route, I will need a short trip this next summer to tide me over. Hmmm....choices choices choices.

We love the view....but the resort has so many viewing spots you can sit and observe. The highback rocking chairs are great.

Thanks....that's exactly what I need to know. I went for dinner at Boma in July and we looked around a little before the ADR. I thought there looked like a ton of "public" places to view the animals. Like I said, I just can't see myself spending that kind of money and not having the monorail! MK is our favorite park by far, so it is way better for us to be near it. But I wouldn't want to travel to AKL twice in the week for a meal, and I know Bradey would LOVE the animals and decor. So I just need to decide what works best for us.

 

[DMGeurts]

Thanks Mo....I know, I have some of the best DISfriends ever! You guys make me feel like you are right down the road and I can call anytime I just had a little stress overload and couldn't deal with it all at once. Minor breakdown and things are back on track...I hope

So....we still aren't certain what is happening next year, but I am keeping with my plan for October 12-19th and we will just see what the new year brings for us. I haven't booked this trip yet and I don't plan to until after we get our taxes back in February. So that gives me lots of time to figure things out. Our friends still want to go, but are on-board with waiting til tax refund time.

We still can't decide where to stay. AKL is nudging into my thoughts alot lately. Mostly because I want to try Boma for breakfast, but I most certainly want to have dinner there too. So with the long bus ride, I think it might be good to just stay there. Anyone ever stayed at AKL without the savanna view?? Is it worth it? I just can't see spending that kind of money when we are barely in our room. There are lots of viewing areas around the resort that we can still see the animals...right? A savanna view room is almost as much as the Poly and I'm sorry, but if I am spending that much...I am going to my Poly!

So thoughts on AKL without savanna view???

OK - so I think you must be me here? Right??? This is exactly what I was thinking...

Wanna stay at AKL... But if I am gonna stay at AKL - I am only going to stay there once in my life... If I am gonna stay there once in my life it's gonna be Savanna view... If I am gonna stay Savanna view I could stay at the Poly... I am only gonna stay at the Poly once in my life... If I am gonna stay at the Poly only once in my life... It's gonna be a theme park view... See where I am goin' with this??? <------- I need one of those "bashing your head against your computer screen" emoticons.

Oh, I am definitely going back in 2013...just not sure when and with whom. To be honest...my original plan was to go with just Bradey and I in Nov, but I moved to Oct so I could meet D....if she isn't going in Oct now, I'm not sure I would either. Maybe just a quick summer trip with Bradey and then wait until our usual Feb trip. Feb is much more fun because the weather is cooler and the crowds are non-existant. We will see. I definitely can't swing Feb 2013, but don't want to wait until Feb 2014...so if go the Feb route, I will need a short trip this next summer to tide me over. Hmmm....choices choices choices.

D~ is leaning HEAVILY towards October again... 98% chance.

D~ <--- If she could just make up her mind already.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

So glad life has calmed down for you Suzi! Can't wait to see IF you go in October and where you choose to stay!

 

[KatMark]

Suzi, I can't comment on a "non-Savannah" view as we had one when we stayed there in 2011. But I can attest that there are many look out areas for you to see the animals, and the resort is absolutely stunning. I would strongly urge you to look into renting points as it will be cheaper for you.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Glad your keeping your ptr going... Even if you aren't sure what you're going to do... there's lots of supportive people here who just happen to be Disney lunatics...

Seriously it is good to have sources of support when you're under stress...

Hmmm... as far as the AKL goes... there really are lovely views all over the resort...and plenty of seating areas...

one thing you may want to consider is going for a pool view which is slightly higher than standard view and gets you a view out onto the lovely, lovely pool and is pretty significantly less expensive than savannah view...

Also if you can hold out till the last two weeks of August for your Disney fix... (don't know when school starts in Maine)... the rates drop because a lot of schools are back in session... It's also less crowded then... (I know this because I've been guilty of all kinds of tweaking and Disney math...just like the 2nd/3rd week in December before the 22nd or 23rd is a great time to go if you can swing that time... but that's not the summer and too close to your February time...)

Hope your able to work something out... & again glad you're keeping your PTR going...

 

[solana131]

OK - so I think you must be me here? Right??? This is exactly what I was thinking...

Wanna stay at AKL... But if I am gonna stay at AKL - I am only going to stay there once in my life... If I am gonna stay there once in my life it's gonna be Savanna view... If I am gonna stay Savanna view I could stay at the Poly... I am only gonna stay at the Poly once in my life... If I am gonna stay at the Poly only once in my life... It's gonna be a theme park view... See where I am goin' with this??? <------- I need one of those "bashing your head against your computer screen" emoticons.

D~ is leaning HEAVILY towards October again... 98% chance.

D~ <--- If she could just make up her mind already.

Oh I hope you do stick with Oct. It is looking like we will still go, just wait until after taxes to book. Hopefully by then I will know where we want to stay. Bill definitely doesn't want to go....too hot down there, too nice up here. But I'm not sure if our friends will still go if he doesn't go. I am hoping that just the mom and daughter will go and it can be Bradey and I with the two of them. A) I would feel weird hanging around with their whole family without Bill and B) Maybe we could split the room rate and stay at the Poly. Plus, we will have to wait and see what is in store for the Poly as far as refurbs. I think something major is happening, and I don't want to be there with lots of construction going on.

Don't let the "theme park view" only stipulation make you skip the Poly...really, the garden view rooms there are so pretty anyway, feels like you are in paradise. The only time I could see spending that kind of money is if you had really young children that can't stay up until fireworks. Other than that, you aren't going to be sitting in your room looking out the window. Just a waste. Spend the money on club level instead...I think garden view club level is about the same as theme park view non-club.

So glad life has calmed down for you Suzi! Can't wait to see IF you go in October and where you choose to stay!

Yeah, I can't wait to see either oopsi It's probably still gonna happen, we just need to figure out some other stuff first before we book.

Suzi, I can't comment on a "non-Savannah" view as we had one when we stayed there in 2011. But I can attest that there are many look out areas for you to see the animals, and the resort is absolutely stunning. I would strongly urge you to look into renting points as it will be cheaper for you.

I don't know....the whole points thing is just so confusing to me. We most likely won't stay there anyway...just tossing ideas around. I want to try Crystal Palace for our new breakfast place anyway, so I would just keep Boma for dinner until next time.

Glad your keeping your ptr going... Even if you aren't sure what you're going to do... there's lots of supportive people here who just happen to be Disney lunatics...

Seriously it is good to have sources of support when you're under stress...

Hmmm... as far as the AKL goes... there really are lovely views all over the resort...and plenty of seating areas...

one thing you may want to consider is going for a pool view which is slightly higher than standard view and gets you a view out onto the lovely, lovely pool and is pretty significantly less expensive than savannah view...

Also if you can hold out till the last two weeks of August for your Disney fix... (don't know when school starts in Maine)... the rates drop because a lot of schools are back in session... It's also less crowded then... (I know this because I've been guilty of all kinds of tweaking and Disney math...just like the 2nd/3rd week in December before the 22nd or 23rd is a great time to go if you can swing that time... but that's not the summer and too close to your February time...)

Hope your able to work something out... & again glad you're keeping your PTR going...

Thanks! I don't know how I made it so long without the DIS. I'm glad I found it before our Feb trip last year because these people have helped me A TON!

The second to last week in August would work for us, we start school a couple days before Labor Day. So it is possible to do that. And June would work too. I have no problem taking him out of school the last few days....it's only kindergarten! But I think we will just stick with October for now. I got myself all excited about MNSSHP...I would hate to miss it now. Someday I will see the Christmas decorations too, but not for while. Christmas means snow and cold and evergreens, not palm trees and heat. We'll see...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I don't plan you for wanting to stick to October if you can...

(and it is much easier to miss school the younger they are...)

(The Halloween Party and the Food and Wine Festival are "1 on my Dis Bucket list...)

Just keep the 3rd week of August in the back of your mind... cause there are some nice saving then and the park crowds definitely lighten...

I Hope that you have a lovely Thanksgiving...

 

[solana131]

I don't plan you for wanting to stick to October if you can...

(and it is much easier to miss school the younger they are...)

(The Halloween Party and the Food and Wine Festival are "1 on my Dis Bucket list...)

Just keep the 3rd week of August in the back of your mind... cause there are some nice saving then and the park crowds definitely lighten...

I Hope that you have a lovely Thanksgiving...

Thanks Patricia....I hope you have a great Thanksgiving too!



**********************************************************


So this weekend I went Thanksgiving shopping for the first time. Growing up, we always went to my Nana's house for Thanksgiving. We still are at noon, but for the past few years we have gone to my sister-in-law's house for the dinner later in the afternoon. Well, this summer my sister-in-law decided she didn't want to be in the family anymore So that leaves me to do the dinner. I have never cooked a turkey in my life.....I think I have only cooked a whole chicken a couple times. I'm usually a boneless meat kind of girl. So I'm a little scared about how this is going to come out.

My father-in-law will be cooking a big ham, so worst case is the turkey is horrible and we will all enjoy the ham, right?? I am good with all the sides, the rolls, and of course the desserts. I am making my special pumpkin cheesecake and a cherry pie. Hubby's grandmother will bring an apple pie and we will be good.

There is only going to be 6 of us, so it won't have to be prefect. I am just worried about getting everything done. I still have to be at my Nana's at noon with my son and then have to have dinner cooked an ready at my house by 4 when hubby gets home from work. (yes he has to work both TG and Christmas!) We have a two hour window for this dinner between 4 when Bill gets home and 6 when his brother has to go to bed for work.

Fun fun fun

Another thing I started this weekend was my wrapping. I had heard somewhere this great idea for a tradition to start for my son. We are going to get together 24 Christmas/Holiday/Winter theme books and wrap them all individually each year. We will place them under the tree and starting Dec 1st, we will choose one book to unwrap and read that night ending of course on the 24th with "Night Before Christmas". My mom found a bunch of little books down in FL at yardsales, and we already had a bunch at home. I still need about 4 more to have all 24. But I started wrapping them this weekend and I am getting excited about starting this new tradition.

This is my favorite time of the year. The whole span between Thanksgiving and New Years

No new plans for Disney yet, but I am still keeping it on the calendar....

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Don't let that turkey intimidate you! I have found that the easiest way to do it is in a roasting bag. The turkey stays nice and moist and the mess is minimal. The directions will be right there on the box that the bag comes in.

I really wish we could have TG at our house. MIL likes to have it at her house even though that makes 5 of us going to her house to join just the two of them. I don't like some of the food she makes, including the turkey that they cook on the smoker the DAY BEFORE and just warm in the microwave. I just take LOTS of other dishes to go with it that I do like to eat. I keep a good attitude by remembering that someday my kids are going to leave and have families of their own, and I will want them to come "home" for the holidays, too.