"One More Waffle!" An October 2011 TR! *Update 4/24, pg 70-The End!*

[tinkalicious]

Girl, I feel your pain! I get migraines too! And a while back there was a study that figured out the number one trigger of migraines, and guess what it was? HEAT! If you get hot enough that your core body temperature gets raised even a little, your blood vessels go crazy and OW! So now when I feel a migraine coming on I reach for the ice packs. And drink caffiene - it helps get the blood vessels to go back to normal. Also there are some great migraine meds out now - one good one is called Treximet. It doesn't even knock you out, you can pretty much go on with your day. The doc can give you some samples to use when traveling just in case.

Sorry for the unsolicited advice - I've dealt with headaches so long I've done alot of trial and error.

 

[klacey1]

I love your fireworks pictures!! They came out great! Augh, the hoards of people would have made me anxious-- I'm glad the crowds eventually got a bit more organized!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I believe we left before the party was over as well! We typically take the WL buses to and from MK just because they are super fast! We tend to take them more-so when leaving MK and I was going to suggest the bus for a future WL trip but you figured it out

 

[Mrs T 2009]

I am so glad that the rest of your night went well YAY for surprise presents!!!
I love HM, and seeing it at MNSSHP was awesome, I bet!

Oh wow how big of a crowd to WL so early!!! Glad that you got on the bus fiarly quickly! I have never ridden on a disney bus yet lol we always rent a car when we go. If we go in Dec for a quick weekend we won't be renting a car, so I would end up riding a bus and probably be as excited as you were

 

[amazingact21]

Your picture of PoTC is so cool! I love the lights shining through from the background, and the way it looks very Halloween-ish.

It's disappointing to hear that the crowds were so bad, but I'm glad you two could ride Haunted Mansion. It's done up so well for the holiday, even the CMs are fun. And, I mean, who can go to a Halloween Party and not take a spin on a doom buggy???

It seems like everyone on the DISboards has become hooked on Vinylmations. I blame PirateKate, because I became interested when I started reading her TRs. It never fails, though, that the one Vinylmation you don't want is the one that invitably in the box you bought. I guess the good thing is you now had something to trade the following day.

I thought it was sweet that Brandon bought a pin for you. Very thoughtful of him.

 

[tankgirl427]

I loved seeing your pictures from MNNSHP! I have the opposite problem as you with the Vinyls. I buy two boxes of every type figuring I'll get double the chance of getting the one I want and I end up with two of the same! It happened at the Disney Store in NYC and about five times on my October trip! My best story was going to the local Disney store and picking one up and saying well if I don't like it I'm going to trade for the Fairy Godmother right there, opened the box and there's the Fairy Godmother. Maybe we'll have to pick Vinyls out together!

Can't wait to read your mini PTR for December! I posted my plans on my PTR.

 

[Nermel9]

I loved seeing your pictures from MNNSHP! I have the opposite problem as you with the Vinyls. I buy two boxes of every type figuring I'll get double the chance of getting the one I want and I end up with two of the same! It happened at the Disney Store in NYC and about five times on my October trip! My best story was going to the local Disney store and picking one up and saying well if I don't like it I'm going to trade for the Fairy Godmother right there, opened the box and there's the Fairy Godmother. Maybe we'll have to pick Vinyls out together!

Can't wait to read your mini PTR for December! I posted my plans on my PTR.

Thanks! Haha, I'm not sure if I bought 2 of the same Vinyls on this trip, that's a good idea! Can you trade them at Disney Stores??? Good thing the closest one to me is almost an hour away, or I'd be there every weekend!

Ahhh, I keep forgetting to look at your PTR for December! I will do that as soon as I finish up here!

Your picture of PoTC is so cool! I love the lights shining through from the background, and the way it looks very Halloween-ish.

It's disappointing to hear that the crowds were so bad, but I'm glad you two could ride Haunted Mansion. It's done up so well for the holiday, even the CMs are fun. And, I mean, who can go to a Halloween Party and not take a spin on a doom buggy???

It seems like everyone on the DISboards has become hooked on Vinylmations. I blame PirateKate, because I became interested when I started reading her TRs. It never fails, though, that the one Vinylmation you don't want is the one that invitably in the box you bought. I guess the good thing is you now had something to trade the following day.

I thought it was sweet that Brandon bought a pin for you. Very thoughtful of him.

Thanks! I love that Pirates picture too! I wish we did the Photopass picture there, but we just didn't have time!

The crowds were crazy, but we had a great time anyway! It was only really bad after the fireworks, that was insanity! HM was so much fun at a Halloween Party, and the CM's were really into it that night!

I know, I keep reading about Vinylmations on lots of TR's! They're so much fun! I ended up keeping a lot of the ones I got, so now I need somewhere to display them, I might need to put up a Vinylmation shelf or something! And I have one left to bring with me in December to trade!

I thought it was sweet that Brandon bought me that pin, too! I was looking everywhere for MNSSHP merchandise that night and didn't see anything I wanted, but the pin is adorable!

I am so glad that the rest of your night went well YAY for surprise presents!!!
I love HM, and seeing it at MNSSHP was awesome, I bet!

Oh wow how big of a crowd to WL so early!!! Glad that you got on the bus fiarly quickly! I have never ridden on a disney bus yet lol we always rent a car when we go. If we go in Dec for a quick weekend we won't be renting a car, so I would end up riding a bus and probably be as excited as you were

Thanks! Don't you love surprise presents?

You know, when I did this update, I checked my notes to see what time we left, and we got on the bus at 12, so I'm guessing we left MK around 11:30, so we really didn't leave the party that early! It was crazy, the amount of people waiting for a boat! And the monorails were packed!! I really liked using the bus, one other time we took it back to the WL later in the week, and we had the whole bus to ourselves!

I believe we left before the party was over as well! We typically take the WL buses to and from MK just because they are super fast! We tend to take them more-so when leaving MK and I was going to suggest the bus for a future WL trip but you figured it out

One of the things I love about WL is taking the boat back from MK, but when it's that crowded, I'll use the bus from now on!

I love your fireworks pictures!! They came out great! Augh, the hoards of people would have made me anxious-- I'm glad the crowds eventually got a bit more organized!

Thanks! Haha, I did feel a little anxious in those crowds, I was so afraid Brandon and I would get separated or something! I'm glad the CM's made everyone go to the right or left, because if they didn't, I was going to!

Girl, I feel your pain! I get migraines too! And a while back there was a study that figured out the number one trigger of migraines, and guess what it was? HEAT! If you get hot enough that your core body temperature gets raised even a little, your blood vessels go crazy and OW! So now when I feel a migraine coming on I reach for the ice packs. And drink caffiene - it helps get the blood vessels to go back to normal. Also there are some great migraine meds out now - one good one is called Treximet. It doesn't even knock you out, you can pretty much go on with your day. The doc can give you some samples to use when traveling just in case.

Sorry for the unsolicited advice - I've dealt with headaches so long I've done alot of trial and error.

Thanks for the advice! I'd like to try a migraine med, but I'm afraid to go to the doctor for migraines, I don't want to have to get an MRI or something! I used to always use ice packs for migraines, and now it seems like they don't work anymore. When they are really bad, the only thing that helps is sleep. Which sucks if you get one in the middle of the day!

I'm caught up now. I wonder how long it would have taken me to figure out that I was missing this if you hadn't have told me.

Sorry to hear about the migraine. I've never had one, but it sounds like it's unpleasant, especially at Disney.

Wilderness Lodge looks beautiful! I've never even visited there, but the lobby looks really cool.

The Boo to You Parade was so awesome! I loved the Headless Horseman. Those people behind you do sound annoying. I would have been tempted to stand, too. We had a whiny kid behind us during the Boo to You Parade. And no, it wasn't Carter or Landon. Something about the best Disney parades seems to bring out the worst in people.

One thing I've learned about Vinylmation trading- Never open a Toy Story box thinking "anything but Big Baby".

Your Christmas trip sounds fun! AP's are the best! I'm still working on a plan for us to go see the Lights this year. I always find a Christmas without all the Disney stuff sort of sad.

Yay, so glad you're here!

You're so lucky to have never had a migraine, they're awful! Especially in Disney World!

Wasn't the Headless Horseman awesome? He was probably my favorite part, him and the Haunted Mansion part! Ugh, and yeah, those people behind us...they were really annoying! Parades really do bring out the worst in people! Although, this was honestly the first parade I've ever had an issue at. Both times we saw MVMCP parades, we were right in front, in Fronteirland, and everyone just watched from where they were and had a great time! Maybe it was because it was sold out. Who knows?

Haha, I KNEW I was going to get Big Baby, I just knew it! I traded him away pretty quickly, though, and luckily, it was the only time I got him!

I can't wait for our quick Christmas trip, one month away! I hope you figure out a way to get there to see the lights, this will be my 3rd year in a row going for the Holiday decorations, and next year, if we can't go, I don't know what I'll do! It's not Christmas to me anymore without Disney being a part of it!

 

[Nermel9]

It is hard to not take photos of the fireworks, isn't it? I love the shots you took...they came out really well.

I never got round to watching Nightmare before Christmas...I'll have to watch it one day.

Ugh at it being so busy! Yay at riding IASW - I loved that ride. Good call on getting the bus instead of the boat and lol at getting the only Vinylmation you didn't want!

It is SO hard not to take pictures of the fireworks! I wanted to just watch for the 40th anniversary fireworks too, but I still ended up taking pictures!

Nightmare Before Christmas is awesome! You should watch it, it's sooo good! The music is amazing!

I'm kind of glad I got Big Baby first, because I traded him away pretty quickly!

I checked out all your pics this morning and I think they turned out really well. Nice job. I think I have to sit myself right in the hub and take some firework pictures. I have honestly never done that. I have taken them from so many vantage points, but never the hub. I think I will try NOT using my distance lens for one. Nice work, Jen!

Glad you had a fun time at the party, despite the sold out crowd. I love your magic shot in front of the HM. Was the story teller lady out there? She is so creepy!

Thanks! We never stand in front of the hub for the fireworks, so this was definitely a nice change!

The party was awesome! The story teller was out, I totally forgot! She is really creepy! I tried to listen to her for a little while, but I was anxious to get on HM so we only listened for a few minutes!

I can't wait to finally get to see Hallowishes! Everyone raves about that show and I love your pictures

Even though you and Brandon are making different faces laughing I still love your HM magic PP shot!

Vinylmations! Chris and I are collectors! Of course, we're not made of money so we don't have tons of them but I'd say we have about 25! Friends of ours were just down in WDW last month and bought us the bride and groom ones! But thats the cool thing about the vinyls, you can just trade if you get one you don't like...like the big baby haha I hope you eventually found Buzz!

You're going to love Hallowishes, it is SO good! I still like Holiday Wishes a little better, just because I love the Christmas music, but Hallowishes is almost as good!

Haha, thanks, I'm not a big fan of that magic shot, but I do like the ghost in it!

Aww, I didn't know they had bride and groom Vinyls! Too bad I didn't know about those on my Disneymoon! They are so much fun to trade, but I ended up spending SO much money on them...I'll post a picture of how many I ended up with at the end of this TR!

Oh how I miss Hallowishes but I don't ever remember the crowds being as crazy as you describe. I'm with you though that a trip to Disneyland to see the Halloween decorations there would be GREAT! Love the photos!

I think more and more people are going in October now, because of the Halloween Parties and Food and Wine. But I never expected to go to a sold out MNSSHP the last day of September! Disneyland for Halloween would be awesome, someday I hope!

I HalloWishes, too, and your photos are great! I love how even riding a bus is magical when you're at Disney!

Thanks! LOL, I loved riding the Disney bus! I'm sure it's not that great when you're waiting for 45 minutes and have to fight for a seat, but at the end of the night, when there were just a few of us on it, it was really nice!

Love all the pictures especially of the castle. Glad you enjoyed Hallowishes.

Thank you! Hallowishes was a lot of fun!

 

[Nermel9]

That's pretty awesome that the Hallowishes in DL is even MORE Nightmare Before Christmas themed! I would love to see Zero flying around the castle!

This was really your first time on a Disney bus...sorry...motorcoach?!? Well I'm glad you had a good experience! They're usually pretty great, we're always using them on our trips!

You can find the Disneyland Halloween fireworks on You Tube, I watched the beginning, just to see Zero, and it's so cool! I didn't watch the whole show though, I like to be surprised, and I would love to see them in person someday!

Haha, yep, first time on a Disney motorcoach! It was fun, I'd definitely do a trip and not rent a car, but I'm not sure I could convince Brandon not to rent a car!

HalloWishes is the best isn't it? I love the NBC music portion of it too, esp Oogie Boogies bit

It's a shame it was so busy for you guys, but it looked like you had a great time and score on the quiet bus ride home

Hallowishes was so much fun, I love NBC music!

It was really busy, I thought it was going to make me miserable the whole night, but the only time it really got to me was after the fireworks, in that mob of people, that was the most people I've ever seen at Disney! Other than that, we had a great time!

Your pictures of Hallowishes and the Pirates sign are amazing!

I'm glad you finally got to ride a bus. Little things like that make me excited too

I totally agree that Big Baby is creepy. Matt loved him but I just don't get it. Thankfully we had our trading game so I didn't have to see him for long. Hopefully you get a good replacement :

Thanks! I'm glad other people get excited over little things like I do, sometimes I feel like such a dork at Disney World!

I don't like Big Baby at all. I know he is ok at the end of TS3, but...still don't like him! I didn't see mine for long either, I quickly traded that thing away!

Great update! I hope to go to MNSSHP someday! I loved the buses for WL. When leaving MK we never had a full bus. Most of the time it was empty.
I had no idea people traded Vinylmation! I got one on our last trip and it was a random mystery box and I have no idea what it is! I no longer have the box, so I am wondering how the trading thing works....

I hope you get to go to a MNSSHP someday, it's a lot of fun!

You don't need the box to trade Vinylmation, just take the actual figurine into a store in Disney World and you can trade it where you pay. Actually, not all of the stores do it, but the bigger ones do, you will know because you will see a black box with numbers on it, or a little clear box with 3 Vinyls...just tell them you want to trade yours and they will explain it, it's so much fun!

Jen, I'm so happy that you liked Hallowishes. I think it is spectacularand love it as much if not a tad more than Wishes.

You did better with the attractions than us at your MNSSHP event, we had a lot of wait times (more about that in my TR).

I still haven't figured out the fascination with the Vinylmations, but glad you seem to be in it.

We always rent a car and drive to the parks. But I can say that we thoroughly enjoyed our bus rides in September from OKW.

I loved Hallowishes! I'm not sure I like it more than Wishes, but it's definitely close!

We didn't really go to the MNSSHP for attractions, but there are some that just have to be done! I can't wait to read about your experience on your TR!

Vinylmations are so much fun! Just buy one and trade it, you'll get sucked in too!

I really liked taking the buses the few times we went on them, but I can't imagine waiting for a long time for them, that must be frustrating!

Glad you liked Hallowishes. I had forgotten how cool that show really was until we saw it on our trip. I have never seen the Nightmare Before Christmas (it just seems really strange to me) so I didn't realize some of the music was from there. LOL.

Boo on getting Big Baby! Why is it that you get the vinylmation you DON'T want? I hate that! Hopefully you were able to make a good trade.

You have to see Nightmare Before Christmas! They are constantly playing the music during MNSSHP, and a huge part of Hallowishes is from NBC! It's weird, yes, but it's so good, and it has a really sweet story!

Haha, ugh, I was so annoyed when I got Big Baby, but I kind of expected it! I don't remember what I ended up trading him for, I'll have to check my notes, but I didn't keep him for long!

 

[Shannon84]

I am sorry your party was so crowded, that stinks! I think we lucked out and got one that wasnt too bad

I LOVED Hallowishes too...I was singing the music after to Tim Your pictures are amazing, I couldnt even get one good one of the castle at night!!! I am jealous for sure, you got some great fireworks shots!!

HM has to be one of my favorite rides it just is Disney to me and at MNSSHP it was even better I agree!! The new queue was really cool and we played with the different areas of it, though there were a lot of people in that queue trying to do the same

Of course you got that Big Baby and we got that one twice

 

[Nermel9]

I am sorry your party was so crowded, that stinks! I think we lucked out and got one that wasnt too bad

I LOVED Hallowishes too...I was singing the music after to Tim Your pictures are amazing, I couldnt even get one good one of the castle at night!!! I am jealous for sure, you got some great fireworks shots!!

HM has to be one of my favorite rides it just is Disney to me and at MNSSHP it was even better I agree!! The new queue was really cool and we played with the different areas of it, though there were a lot of people in that queue trying to do the same

Of course you got that Big Baby and we got that one twice

Thanks, that's ok, we had a great time even with all the crowds!

Thanks! I was really surprised at how great some of the fireworks pics came out...and I didn't even use the fireworks setting on my camera!

There weren't a lot of people playing in the HM queue when we went through it, which was weird to me, I think everyone just wanted to get right on the ride! Brandon was playing with everything, he was acting like a kid, it was so funny!

Ugh, Big Baby...seems like everyone gets him! They must have made more of him or something!

 

[Nermel9]

The Important Things (where we're staying and eating!)​

Hi everyone! Thought I'd do a little mini PTR update for our December trip!

We are flying Southwest again, a big reason Brandon agreed to this trip was because I had almost $200 in SW credits to use for our flights...so I pretty much only paid for one flight and got one free with the credits! We are also only going to be doing carry on luggage, so we can just get right off the plane and go instead of wasting time waiting for our bags, so that will be interesting, since I'm such an over-packer!

Another reason he agreed is because with our AP's, there are awesome discounts on resorts...I priced all 3 resort levels, and while the mods and deluxes are ridiculously cheap for 3 nights, we decided to go with...

Pop Century! We're going to try again to stay here! Now, there's no saying I won't change it in the next 4 weeks, but since it's such a short trip and we will barely be in the room anyway, I'm going to try to be sensible and just stick with Pop! Although I'd love to switch to POFQ...or AKL...or even WL...

I am excited to stay at Pop, though! I really want to decorate a window!

And see the Christmas tree!

On to our ADR's...I only have 3 booked, because it's such a short trip I don't want to spend all of our time eating!

When we are in MK, we will be eating at

Tony's Town Square! I know it's not the best Italian restaurant in Disney, but it's good, and I think it's so cute inside, so why not?

Before we go to DHS, we will be eating at

Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club! We have eaten here before and enjoyed it, and we wanted to eat somewhere near DHS before we went there for the night. I am trying to get Cape May Cafe, but nothing is available, so this will be fine if nothing opens up!

And for our Candlelight Processional package, we went with

Rose and Crown! We didn't have much to pick from when I booked the CP package, I almost went with Coral Reef, but I always hear that it's not that great. Rose and Crown is really good, so I'm excited to be eating there again!

Of course, you guys know me and ADR's and how I like to switch things, so don't be surprised if anything changes! The only one that probably won't is the CP package!

This is a tough trip to plan, because there is so much I want to do and we only have 3 days. Originally I was going to skip MVMCP. But now I'm thinking I kind of want to do it, which would be on Sunday, 12/11. So if we do that, I'll have to rearrange some ADR's. I'm just not sure I want to spend over $100 to see a parade and fireworks...then again, I know how much I love the MVMCP fireworks and parade...so I don't know. Any advice?

Up next...what we're doing!

(Oh, ps-I have added chapter links in the beginning for this PTR, to keep things easier and separated from the rest of the TR!)

 

[DisneyFirefly]

I think you guys should do the Christmas party, but that's just me. Personally, I think you'd feel let down about not going, since I know how much you love MVMCP. Also, yay for staying at Pop!

Sorry I haven't been commenting much, I'm just so drained when I get home from work that all I do is read and not really reply to anything that requires anything more than a smiley

 

[tankgirl427]

Well we're both staying in the same resort and if you do MVMCP on the 11th we'll have that in common too! If nothing else we should try to do a meet at Pop one day, probably after park closing since we both only have three days! Our room will be decorated to the 9s! We have lights, Santa Mickey and a tree. All for only three days!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I was just reading through your last TR update and noticed the new ticker! How exciting! I can't wait to hear more about your trip!

I love your Hallowishes pictures! You got some really great shots. I always have such a hard time with fireworks pictures! The one of the HM is amazing, too! I bet it is so much fun to do it during the party!

How sweet of Brandon to get you a surprise! And boo to getting the Big Baby vinalmation! I can't wait to see what you traded it for!

 

[xoktenox]

for staying at Pop! If you're trying to keep the trip budget friendly, this is obviously an awesome choice!

I used to have no interest in the CP...but as of recently, I really want to do it! Rose and Crown is yummy, good choice! I've always wanted to eat at Coral Reef too...but I've just read too many bad reviews...maybe one day lol

I'm so excited for you!

 

[therussells08]

Yay for a mini PTR!

I think you will really like staying at POP during Christmastime. We enjoyed it last year. Everyone really seems to get into the spirit!

Although...I'm sure everyone gets into the spirt at WL too...

I love Tony's Town Square! I know it doesn't get the best reviews, but the inside is just so adorable. I really like their food, too. Plus, Lady and the Tramp? Best theming ever.

I think you should go for it and do MVMCP! This is a short trip so why not splurge?

 

[amazingact21]

I know, I keep reading about Vinylmations on lots of TR's! They're so much fun! I ended up keeping a lot of the ones I got, so now I need somewhere to display them, I might need to put up a Vinylmation shelf or something! And I have one left to bring with me in December to trade!

Amusingly enough, last Friday, Alex and I went to Michael's and bought a shot glass display case. The cubbies are the perfect size for the Vinylmations and they actually look pretty nice. The cases are a little expensive, but if you wait for them to go on sale and use a coupon they are a nice deal. (Ours was priced at 60 and we got it for 26.) And most hold 24 Vinylmations, so it makes sure you don't buy too many Vinylmations.

 

[wdwgirl03]

After our last trip I agree that it is hard when you only have a couple days. But, we had one less day and were able to do everything as far as rides go. I know Christmas is a little different because of all the holiday decorations and such going on. If it were me I would cancel an ADR and do MVMCP instead.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

OK... I was a lackluster PTR follower but am committed to doing better with the trip report. So sorry you weren't feeling well at the beginning of your trip. There's nothing worse than being in the place you've dreamed of for months and then not feeling up to it.

The parade scenario would have made me mad and not sure I would have handled as well as you did.

Hurrah for a December trip. You are going to love WDW at Christmas!