Our surprise May 2011 Trip to AKL - my first PTR! Final Update 5/18!

[natebenma]

Day 5 Monday

But first, we'll be taking a bus to AKL, so we can take a bus to POFQ. We'll be stopping at POFQ to get some yummy beignets (how do you pronounce that, btw?)

I'll take a stab- I think it is "Ben-yays"- Anyone else have a pronounciation?

After the parade we'll be making our way to Yak & Yeti for our 5pm ADR. If possible, after the parade we'll see if we can grab a FP to ride something right after dinner, but I doubt that will happen since the AK closes so early and most FP will probably be gone by 4pm.

We enjoyed the one meal we had at Y&Y. I bet you will still be able to get a FP after the parade to use after dinner. Maybe not the Safari since that closes at dusk.

After dinner, we'll be heading to Hollywood Studios for evening extra magic hours from 7-10pm. We've never had much luck at evening EMH at Hollywood Studios before, usually all the FP for everything is gone by the time we get there after dinner, and all the stand by lines are too long. Hopefully that will not be the case this time!

This is what will be open during the evening extra magic hours:

The Great Movie Ride - this is always a fun, relaxing ride

Muppet Vision 3D - Gotta love the Muppets!

Rock n Roller Coaster - just ok for me

Tower of Terror - Love this- but sounds like a no-go for you.

Star Tours - When does this reopen again? How fun to be one of the first few (thousands) to see it.

Toy Story Mania - be interesting to see what the line looks like at EMH for this.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid - Saw this for the first time in July (alone, boys were at Indiana Jones). I love the music from Little Mermaid and the show was really good. Neat special effects

We've also never had a turkey leg anywhere in Disney, so maybe we should do that just because on this trip

OK, I know some people are devoted to these things, but the only reason I can't say that it is the nastiest thing I ever ate at DW is because I already said that about the Shrimp at Sci Fi. Maybe others can chime in and suggest that you try a turkey leg, but I for one don't get the attraction to it.
​

Responses above.

 

[dtr_angel]

44 Days to go! I'm so excited but I'm feeling the pressure here at home.

We leave very early on May 19th (Thursday) and right now my final is schedule on Monday evening, May 16th. My classmates and I realized yesterday that the college semester ends on May 13th, which means the week before could be really rough if we have to squeeze a final in there too!

Between now and leaving for my Disney trip, I have 6 regular exams (one is tonight - pediatric cardiac, yikes!) the HESI, and the comprehensive final. I also have (3) 12 hour clinical days on Fridays in April, 1 Psych clinical next week, a simulation lab, 2 teaching group project presentations (one to my class, and then the real thing to a group of 4th graders on hygiene!), I have to take my test to get my IV certification on May 10th, 2 clinical evaluations (with our instructors to tell us how we did this semester) and we still have 9 more 6 hour lectures. Plus all the paperwork/care plans/studying that goes along with all of that.

I've been studying for my exam all morning so I'm taking a break right now to eat some lunch, do some laundry, and of course escape to my Disney trip. I'm off tomorrow so I will be finishing day 7 plans tomorrow and I will reply to the comments I haven't yet. And now on to day 6 plans! There has been a change, can you figure out what it is?!

Day 6 - Tuesday
This day there are morning EMH from 8-9am at Epcot! The plan is to grab something quick to eat at Mara at AKL since there is really no breakfast at Epcot to have, and be at the bus stop by 7:30am.

Since we will have already been here for evening EMH on Day 2, our plan of action will depend on how successful or unsuccessful we were on that night.

During morning EMH, this is what will be open at Epcot-
Living with the Land
Mission: Space
Soarin'
Test Track
Spaceship Earth

I can tell you we will definitely be heading towards Soarin' & Test Track to hopefully ride stand by, and grab a fast pass for later. If we didn't get to Living with the Land, or Spaceship Earth on Day 2, we'll hit that up as well. I wasn't a huge fan of Mission: Space, but I think I said before if Truck wants to do it, we will. After all of Future World is open, we'll likely stroll through Innoventions & the Imagination Pavilions. We've also never been in Club Cool, so I hope to trick Truck into trying the Beverly under the false pretense that everyone on the Dis says it's the best tasting one In FW here are the other things we will be trying to do:
Ellen's Energy Adventure - this always seems to be closed when we are there!
The Seas with Nemo & Friends - we definitely have to ride in the calm shells, and do Turtle Talk with Crush. Oh and of course get our picture taken inside of Bruce's mouth! Truck was able to get a picture of me on our last trip, but it wasn't a good one since a bunch of kids kept jumping up there while he was trying to take my picture, and he was too frustrated to get in there and try.

After all that, it sure surely be 11 and time to stroll over to the World Showcase. We'll be having lunch at Epcot, and right now we're leaning towards...

La Cantina de San Angel in Mexico. We'll likely take a boat ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour before grabbing lunch. The Empanadas de Queso sound really yummy, as do the churros I've never had either! After lunch I'd like to explore the World Showcase some more, as we've never taken a lot of time to "smell the roses" in most parts of it. And of course there are lot of character meet & greet opportunities. After we make it back passed Canada, we'll head over to Innoventions West to catch our Disney Visa picture if the line isn't too long. After that we'll get our free print, and make our way to the front of Epcot to wait for a bus back to AKL for our mid day break.

After our break, the plan is to be at the bus stop at AKL by 5pm for the 2nd half of our day at Hollywood Studios! This will be our 2nd night in a row at HS and our 2nd short visit. Now if we can skip a nap this day, and just maybe take a quick dip in the pool and shower & get ready for dinner, then getting to the bus stop as early as possible would be great so that we can hang out at HS before our ADR. Our dinner at Mama Melrose isn't until 6:50pm, so hopefully that will give us plenty of time before checking in there to hit up some attractions and maybe grab a snack.

After our delicious Italian dinner, we'll be heading to Sunset Blvd to line up for Fantasmic!

We attempted to watch this once, on our honeymoon. There were so many people there, and we had a seat way in the back so we ended up leaving early because I was so nervous about the crowds, so I don't think I really gave it a chance - and we haven't tried it since. I decided we need to give it a chance, so after we're done eating we'll line up for it. The park closes at 9 when it starts, so as soon as it's over we (along with everyone and their brother) will be making our way to the front to wait a very long time for a bus back to AKL We'll need our rest this night, since the next morning is our last day in Disney and we'll be in 3 parks! Stay tuned, I plan to finish up day 7 tomorrow! ​

 

[PixieMama]

Sounds like you'll need this vacation once all your finals are through!

You've never been on Ellen's EA? I can assure you, you haven't missed anything, LOL! (At least, IMHO. That's one ride I will be happy to skip on any visit to Epcot. It's just soooo boring.)

San Angel Cantina is a good choice for a QS lunch! I had the Tacos de Pollo and DH had the Tacos de Carne... both were very good. DH also had the churros and they were yummy, as well.

We did F! once (back on our 1st trip in 2007)... and like Ellen's EA, once is enough for me. Personally, I don't think the show is all that great... definitely not worth waiting over 45 minutes for. Even getting there that early, we struggled to find a seat. I don't even wait in line for a ride if the wait time is more than 30 minutes! (Seating is opened up 90 minutes prior to the show... I can't imagine waiting an HOUR AND A HALF, especially with kids, for any show) And the crowds, !!! I don't like that there is only one way in, which means there is only one way OUT. I was a nervous wreck when the show ended and it was just a mass exodus... trying to keep track of my DDs (who were only 4 and 6 at the time) and my DH amongst the hordes of people just made me uneasy.

Sorry to go off on a tangent there, but just thinking about our F! experience brought back horrible memories, LOL! :shudder:

 

[dtr_angel]

Joining in! So jealous of your stay at AKL. I keep telling myself "One day we'll stay there!"

Just wanted to give a quick note on your ADRs... I read that you've been told burgers aren't on the dinner menu at Sci-Fi. If you aren't able to order a burger, I suggest the ribs! DH and I both ordered them and they were very, very good.

And Boma! It's my all-time favorite place to eat at WDW. We've been there twice and it's one of the few places I'd make sure we'd eat at on any return trips to WDW.

I can't recall the name right now, but the QS place in the Japan Pavillion at Epcot was really good!


Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks for reading my trip report! I know we are so lucky to be staying at AKL, that I sometimes feel guilty. I call it a surprise trip because we didn't know until the end of Feb that we were going in May - just over 12 weeks out. Since we had not anticipated a vacation, I had concentrated my efforts on throwing money at our car loan to get it paid off ASAP (which I did on March 31st, paid a 5 year loan in less than 2 years!) so we didn't have any money saved towards the vacation. My DH was insistent that we were going Deluxe since we both have worked so hard and haven't been on a vacation since August 2009, but I thought maybe we should just stay at a value so it could be paid before we go. Well I'm glad I listened to my DH because according to my calculations, every cent of the vacation cost will be paid/saved by the time we leave so we really can relax!

I'm definitely looking forward to all this new exciting food we've never tried before, like your upcoming trip, this trip is all about firsts for us too!

Yakitori House. Mmmmmm!

That does sound yummy. I think we're leaning towards Mexico right now. We ate at Teppan Edo on our last trip, is the food at Yakitori House similar?

Alright, I’m all caught up. All of your plans look great! Just some random comments.

I really wanted to try Biergarten, but I let DH and DD pick where to eat on our EPCOT night. I made them a powerpoint and had about 10 pages dedicated to Biergarten and maybe a page or two for Via Napoli and Captain’s Grill. They still choose Via Napoli.

I can’t believe you haven’t done Spaceship Earth. I find it kind of boring, but still do it everytime. It’s a nice way to relax for a few minutes.

I have never tried Mission:Space. Maybe this time.

It’s a great idea to avoid DHS if you’re not interested in SWW. I would much rather be at EMH at AK, but once again I am outvoted. I really wanted to try EMH at night for AK, but I don’t think they have them at all for our dates.

We have never done Kali Rapids, Nemo or Lion King. (I have no idea what we do in AK since we seem to miss everything)

Kouzinna looks interesting. Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

It is so tough to concentrate on school stuff when planning a Disney trip. At this time last year I was in my last semester of the radiography program and we spent a lot of time on the computer doing board review. I would say about 75% of that time was spent on the Dis.

Love the picture of the cheese Danish. I can’t wait to have one next month. Last year I got one at GF and we ate it outside of the Gasparalli(?) grill. DD had to go to the bathroom and when I got back, DH informed me that a bird had swooped down and started eating it. The whole thing had to go in the trash.

I love the story about MK EMH. It must have been so cool to see the characters on the carousel. We have never done any EMH and I really hope to make it over there this time. Luckily they are only until 12 I think. I don’t think can stay up until 3am and then make it to rope drop the next day. (Wow, I am getting old)

I am hoping to see any midday parade. We took a mid day break almost every day last year and missed them all. I don’t care which one I see, as long as we catch one.

Yak and Yeti looks so good. I have been trying to fit it in but since DH and DD want to do RFC and we have ‘Ohana that night I can’t make it fit. I considered shuffling my days but I don’t want to do IOA on a weekend. I guess I’ll have to wait until next time.

I will have to try to stay on top of your updates so I'm not so far behind.

I don't know why we've never tried Biergarten before, my husband loves that kind of food. Maybe it's because I don't like sausage, or sauerkraut? Now it all sounds so yummy to me that I cannot wait to try it! Especially the pretzel bread, it was so good at Le Cellier!

There are no evening EMH at AK while we are there either! On our last trip I distinctly remember being there after dark and riding EE. I wonder why there are no more evening EMH? I know they can't do some things like the safari after dark but there are so many more rides that could stay open longer!

Apparently my DH & I have also not been very productive at AK because our to do list seems longer than our already done list LOL.

I know what you mean about school & Disney. I am SO excited about our trip that I am so over this semester! I really want to do well though, because I will be miserable at Disney if I don't pass. It's hard to balance! I'm glad all of our actual planning is done, but I can't stay away from the Dis!

Staying up that late is really hard for me, it was so fun though but I can remember how tired I was!!

I love the mid day parade at MK & HS, but by that time I am so hot and tired that I can't force myself to stay. And if you don't sit in the hot sun and steak out a good spot, it's hard to see. I'm very impatient, I don't like waiting

Responses above.

I've been saying it 'Ben-yets' which I know is wrong. Yours at least sounds better than what I've been thinking it is!

It would be really cool if we could still get a FP to ride something before heading to HS for the night.

I believe Star Tours reopens on Friday 5/20 which is the beginning of the first SWW for the year. It will be cool to be in the first (thousands haha) group of people to see the new one, even though we haven't seen the old one.

Well now I don't feel drawn to try a Turkey leg. It's not really my cup of tea, but I know so many people that have went to Disney and have pictures of them eating turkey legs that I felt like I missed the memo that this is something you are supposed to do at Disney? I guess not.

Sounds like you'll need this vacation once all your finals are through!

You've never been on Ellen's EA? I can assure you, you haven't missed anything, LOL! (At least, IMHO. That's one ride I will be happy to skip on any visit to Epcot. It's just soooo boring.)

San Angel Cantina is a good choice for a QS lunch! I had the Tacos de Pollo and DH had the Tacos de Carne... both were very good. DH also had the churros and they were yummy, as well.

We did F! once (back on our 1st trip in 2007)... and like Ellen's EA, once is enough for me. Personally, I don't think the show is all that great... definitely not worth waiting over 45 minutes for. Even getting there that early, we struggled to find a seat. I don't even wait in line for a ride if the wait time is more than 30 minutes! (Seating is opened up 90 minutes prior to the show... I can't imagine waiting an HOUR AND A HALF, especially with kids, for any show) And the crowds, !!! I don't like that there is only one way in, which means there is only one way OUT. I was a nervous wreck when the show ended and it was just a mass exodus... trying to keep track of my DDs (who were only 4 and 6 at the time) and my DH amongst the hordes of people just made me uneasy.

Sorry to go off on a tangent there, but just thinking about our F! experience brought back horrible memories, LOL! :shudder:

Yes!! School is killing me. Don't get me wrong, I love it - but I am so overwhelmed. There is too much to do, too much to learn in a short amount of time.

Well now I won't feel so bad if we miss Ellen again.

And I also don't feel bad now that I'm not the only one that felt that way about Fantasmic! The whole time we were watching it, I was so nervous about the crowd. I had never seen that many people in one place at Disney and knowing there was only one exit... that I told my husband that we had to leave early, and even though we ducked out there were still sooooooo many people around us. But, I am willing to give it a fair shot since I know what to expect now.

 

[dtr_angel]

I’m going to go ahead and wrap up our plans for our last day – 3 parks! Day 7 – Wednesday

We’ll be heading to HS for morning EMH from 8-9am. The plan is to be at the bus stop by 7:30, so we’ll probably grab something to split at Mara. When we get to HS we can grab something yummy from Starring Rolls Café! There is not a lot open during morning EMH at HS – RnRC, TSM, ToT, Muppet Vision, and Star Tours. I think I’ve already told you what I think about those attractions

I’m sure our plan will be to head to Pixar Place and grab FP for TSM, and ride stand by. Then hopefully Truck can ride RnRC/ToT if possible/necessary. We definitely need to wait in line to see Buzz & Woody! We’ve also never drawn any characters so we definitely would like to try that. I definitely want to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and hopefully the Beauty & the Beast live show again.

We’ll be staying and having lunch at HS, we have it narrowed down to Fairfax Fare, Rosie’s, and the Studio Catering Co. Truck says the pulled pork sandwich at Fairfax Fare sounds the best to him.

I would love to stay for the Pixar Countdown to Fun Parade at 3, but more than likely I will be too hot & tired and not too long after lunch be ready to head back to AKL for a break. I love this parade though, so hopefully I can tough it out! Either way, we’ll be heading back to AKL to shower & change for dinner and possibly swim & nap if we skip the parade. After our break, we need to be at the bus stop by 5:30. The second park we’ll be heading to is Epcot, for our 6:30 ADR at Les Chefs de France.

Unfortunately I think we’ll be missing Remy He looks so cute though! Truck & I are very excited for this dinner and can’t wait to try the French onion soup.

After dinner & a stroll around World Showcase for any snacks we just have to have, we’ll be making our way out of Epcot for the last time.

Then after 2 monorail rides and some walking, we’ll be at the Magic Kingdom! There is no MSEP this night, but Wishes is at 9. After Wishes, the park is closing and we’ll be heading back to the AKL to pack up and get some sleep. Our flight out the next morning is at 9am, so I’m sure we’ll have to be ready to go very early to check out and make our date with DME.

All the plans are complete! I still have more to update on, tomorrow I will be updating on purchases so far for the trip after UPS gets here ​

 

[natebenma]

Well now I don't feel drawn to try a Turkey leg. It's not really my cup of tea, but I know so many people that have went to Disney and have pictures of them eating turkey legs that I felt like I missed the memo that this is something you are supposed to do at Disney? I guess not.

Oh, I've got the obligatory picture of me with the turkey leg. But really there must be some marketing genius out there saying "Let's see if we can get the tourists to spend $9 or whatever it is on a greasy sinewy turkey leg". If I have spared you the desire to do that, my work here is done!

 

[dtr_angel]

Hey everyone! So I didn't update on my shopping thus far, I did take pictures but it just wasn't that exciting. I'm going to be making some things - I'm really not crafty either, but hopefully they will turn out and I can post pictures of them. I'm really excited about it!

I've actually been concentrating on school instead of my Disney trip, believe it or not I'm pleased with my grades thus far. So I think I mentioned when talking about how overwhelmed I am this semester, that our final was scheduled on May 16th (Monday) even though the semester ends on Friday May 13th. Well, we pointed this out to my instructor and even though we all would rather take the final on the 16th (we already have 2 tests the week before) she can't legally give it to us, so the last week of school we have 3 tests!!! I'm taking my final on Thursday May 12th. That just turned the heat up a little bit, I was banking on having Friday (we don't have classes on Fri), Saturday, Sunday, and all day Monday to review for the comprehensive final. That gives me a week between the end of the semester and the day we leave for Disney which will be nice to have time to concentrate on Disney without feeling like I'm letting my studies suffer.

Yesterday we got our Disney's Magical Express tickets & luggage tags! That means our trip is close! (36 days to be exact) This is very exciting for us, because on our last trip something happened and our Disney's Magic Express tickets & luggage tags never made it It wasn't a problem, we still were on the schedule for the DME bus but the awfulest thing happened - we had to claim our luggage in Orlando. Yes, after being spoiled by not having to do that or worry about it on our first two trips, claiming our large bags plus having our carry-ons felt like some sort of torture. I'm glad we won't have to do that again

I have 10 more days off of work due to a crazy school/clinical schedule this week and next so I'm hoping to pick up a few more things that we need for the trip. My goal this weekend is to find some paraben free sunscreen - so far I've had no luck.

My favorite watch battery died this week. It's a Fossil watch, and the last time this happened every place I tried to take it to locally wouldn't work on it. Their reasoning was if it broke, they wouldn't be able to fix it. Even a store that sells Fossil watches! So in order for me to get a new battery, I have to wait until I go shopping in the city where there is a Fossil outlet, and they change it for $10. Well, I need a watch for clinicals on Friday, and didn't want to spend a lot of money since I already have a nice watch that I love. I decided maybe I'll get something cute with a Disney character on it.
I really wanted this one...

But it isn't in stock and wouldn't ship for 3-5 weeks! By then I would have probably had time to drive to the outlets and gotten a battery in my current watch. So I ended up getting this one...

Tink is my favorite character, well tied with Tigger. I have a Tigger watch with a leather band from when I was little but I don't know where it is - probably somewhere at my parents house I picked a Tink watch since somewhere out there I have a cute Tigger watch.

Ooh thank you Google images, here is my long lost Tigger watch that I will likely find at my parents house next week when I no longer need a watch (although the battery is probably dead too!)

Anyway, this update was sort of random. I will update soon when I have more Disney related news! ​

 

[natebenma]

Yeah! Mickey Mail!

Good luck with your upcoming exams. Sounds like you have been working very hard, and will totally deserve your magical getaway when it is all done.

The watches are cute! I hope you find your Tigger- he's my favorite character too!

I don't know what the paraben free sunscreen is, but I purchased an all natural sunscreen lotion called Mexitan for our last two trips to Mexico. There are a lot of attractions we have visited that require the use of eco-friendly sunscreen to protect the reefs and other structures like the stalagmites in the underground caverns.

The ingredients listed are: Deionized Water, Sunflower Oil, Lecithin, Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Xanthan Gum, Green Tea Extract, Jojoba Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Reitinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Shea Butter, Eucalyptus oil.

There is a website, www.mexitan.com, but I think I just googled it and ended up ordering it from Amazon. Or you could possibly google "Paraben Free Sunscreen" if you have trouble finding some.

 

[Lidian]

I've actually been concentrating on school instead of my Disney trip, believe it or not I'm pleased with my grades thus far. So I think I mentioned when talking about how overwhelmed I am this semester, that our final was scheduled on May 16th (Monday) even though the semester ends on Friday May 13th. Well, we pointed this out to my instructor and even though we all would rather take the final on the 16th (we already have 2 tests the week before) she can't legally give it to us, so the last week of school we have 3 tests!!! I'm taking my final on Thursday May 12th. That just turned the heat up a little bit, I was banking on having Friday (we don't have classes on Fri), Saturday, Sunday, and all day Monday to review for the comprehensive final. That gives me a week between the end of the semester and the day we leave for Disney which will be nice to have time to concentrate on Disney without feeling like I'm letting my studies suffer.

Yesterday we got our Disney's Magical Express tickets & luggage tags! That means our trip is close! (36 days to be exact) This is very exciting for us, because on our last trip something happened and our Disney's Magic Express tickets & luggage tags never made it It wasn't a problem, we still were on the schedule for the DME bus but the awfulest thing happened - we had to claim our luggage in Orlando. Yes, after being spoiled by not having to do that or worry about it on our first two trips, claiming our large bags plus having our carry-ons felt like some sort of torture. I'm glad we won't have to do that again

I have 10 more days off of work due to a crazy school/clinical schedule this week and next so I'm hoping to pick up a few more things that we need for the trip. My goal this weekend is to find some paraben free sunscreen - so far I've had no luck.

My favorite watch battery died this week. It's a Fossil watch, and the last time this happened every place I tried to take it to locally wouldn't work on it. Their reasoning was if it broke, they wouldn't be able to fix it. Even a store that sells Fossil watches! So in order for me to get a new battery, I have to wait until I go shopping in the city where there is a Fossil outlet, and they change it for $10. Well, I need a watch for clinicals on Friday, and didn't want to spend a lot of money since I already have a nice watch that I love. I decided maybe I'll get something cute with a Disney character on it.
I really wanted this one...

But it isn't in stock and wouldn't ship for 3-5 weeks! By then I would have probably had time to drive to the outlets and gotten a battery in my current watch. So I ended up getting this one...

Tink is my favorite character, well tied with Tigger. I have a Tigger watch with a leather band from when I was little but I don't know where it is - probably somewhere at my parents house I picked a Tink watch since somewhere out there I have a cute Tigger watch.

Ooh thank you Google images, here is my long lost Tigger watch that I will likely find at my parents house next week when I no longer need a watch (although the battery is probably dead too!)

Anyway, this update was sort of random. I will update soon when I have more Disney related news! ​

Sorry to hear of the stress on having all the tests right then and there. I know having more study time is a blessing ... but at least you'll have it out of the way sooner.

Grats on the Mickey Mail!!! That is soo exciting to get!

I liked the watch you got. And the Tigger watch ... I actually had the same one. DD broke the face and I had to throw it out though.

 

[dtr_angel]

So thanks to the Dis, I've compiled a list of snacks that we MUST HAVE while in Disney. Some we have tried, some are new. I like chocolate okay, but it makes me sick - looks like I better pack a lot of allergy meds so I can try all this stuff! If not, Truck will be eating and telling me all about it, haha.

Dole Whip @ MK
Cream Cheese Pretzel @ MK
School Bread @ Norway
Butterfinger Cupcake @ Starring Rolls
Beignets @ POFQ
Zebra Domes @ Mara
Churros – Mexico
Villains shop – carrot cake cookie (HS)
Magic Cookie Bar – POR
Frozen banana @ Epcot
Iced Chai Tea – AK

anything I am missing?!

Time is going too fast. I cannot believe that in 24 days I will be done my 3rd semester of nursing, and in 31 days I'll be in Disney again! I finished up my Psych clinicals & paperwork this week. I will be so happy to not have to think about Psych nursing until I study for my RN-CLEX! I also had an awesome (but tiring) 12 hour shift in the nursery - I cannot wait to be a mom! Not too much left now, the next 4 weeks will fly by! I'm down to (1) 12 hour shift in Labor & Delivery, (5) 6 hour lectures, 4 regular exams, 1 simulation lab, an IV therapy workshop, a hygiene presentation to a 4th grade class, Comprehensive Skill Evals (I HATE THESE!), the OB/Peds HESI exam, and the comprehensive final.

Yes, this trip to Disney World is much needed! I'm also thinking that maybe we should try to go to Blizzard Beach and have some fun, but I have no idea where to squeeze it into our schedule - and also, what CS is the best at BB?​

 

[dtr_angel]

Yeah! Mickey Mail!

Good luck with your upcoming exams. Sounds like you have been working very hard, and will totally deserve your magical getaway when it is all done.

The watches are cute! I hope you find your Tigger- he's my favorite character too!

I don't know what the paraben free sunscreen is, but I purchased an all natural sunscreen lotion called Mexitan for our last two trips to Mexico. There are a lot of attractions we have visited that require the use of eco-friendly sunscreen to protect the reefs and other structures like the stalagmites in the underground caverns.

The ingredients listed are: Deionized Water, Sunflower Oil, Lecithin, Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Xanthan Gum, Green Tea Extract, Jojoba Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Reitinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Shea Butter, Eucalyptus oil.

There is a website, www.mexitan.com, but I think I just googled it and ended up ordering it from Amazon. Or you could possibly google "Paraben Free Sunscreen" if you have trouble finding some.

Well I got lucky, our old favorite sunscreen (smells like an orange creamsicle!) is now paraben free! I picked up 2 bottles at Walmart. I felt like I had hit the lottery, LOL.

Still no luck on finding my Tigger watch, but I do like my new Tinkerbell watch, but it's a little big.

I love Mickey mail! We got some more yesterday too!

Sorry to hear of the stress on having all the tests right then and there. I know having more study time is a blessing ... but at least you'll have it out of the way sooner.

Grats on the Mickey Mail!!! That is soo exciting to get!

I liked the watch you got. And the Tigger watch ... I actually had the same one. DD broke the face and I had to throw it out though.

We get so excited when we get Mickey mail, we got some more yesterday!
The tinkerbell watch is really nice for how inexpensive it was. It's a little big on me though, but it worked for clinicals, which is the only time I wear my watch anymore.

That's too bad about your Tigger watch. I'm hoping mine will turn up at my parents house sometime soon.

 

[PixieMama]

So thanks to the Dis, I've compiled a list of snacks that we MUST HAVE while in Disney. Some we have tried, some are new. I like chocolate okay, but it makes me sick - looks like I better pack a lot of allergy meds so I can try all this stuff! If not, Truck will be eating and telling me all about it, haha.

Dole Whip @ MK
Cream Cheese Pretzel @ MK
School Bread @ Norway
Butterfinger Cupcake @ Starring Rolls
Beignets @ POFQ
Zebra Domes @ Mara
Churros – Mexico
Villains shop – carrot cake cookie (HS)
Magic Cookie Bar – POR
Frozen banana @ Epcot
Iced Chai Tea – AK

anything I am missing?

I have never had a Dole Whip... not a huge fan of pineapple, so I probably won't ever try one, LOL!

I am all over one of those Butterfinger Cupcakes! Or the Chocolate Peanut Butter one. Or Red Velvet. GAH! How will I ever choose?!

One stop I am looking forward to is the new caramel shop in the Germany pavilion! If you haven't checked that place out, do so at once! Those treats look heavenly.

 

[natebenma]

So thanks to the Dis, I've compiled a list of snacks that we MUST HAVE while in Disney. Some we have tried, some are new. I like chocolate okay, but it makes me sick - looks like I better pack a lot of allergy meds so I can try all this stuff! If not, Truck will be eating and telling me all about it, haha.

Dole Whip @ MK
Cream Cheese Pretzel @ MK
School Bread @ Norway
Butterfinger Cupcake @ Starring Rolls
Beignets @ POFQ
Zebra Domes @ Mara
Churros – Mexico
Villains shop – carrot cake cookie (HS)
Magic Cookie Bar – POR
Frozen banana @ Epcot
Iced Chai Tea – AK

anything I am missing?!

Yes, this trip to Disney World is much needed! I'm also thinking that maybe we should try to go to Blizzard Beach and have some fun, but I have no idea where to squeeze it into our schedule - and also, what CS is the best at BB?

Good luck with all of your exams, clinicals and upcoming stuff!

For snacks- I would consider stopping by Auntie Gravities in Tomorrowland in the MK for a smoothie. The orange pineapple is really good! The cappucino smoothie is good too.

At EPCOT, there are bakery cases in France and also Sunshine Seasons in the Land which both have huge selections. The SSSS (Sunshine Seasons strawberry shortcake) is really yummy. We love this counter service place- so you could either have a meal or just a snack here.

If that is too much sweet stuff at EP, you could always transfer the frozen banana over to AK- you are short on snacks there and it can get really hot there.

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

Joining in!

I am so sorry about your exam schedule! But the good news is that it'll be over soon and then you'll be headed to Disney!

Your plans sound awesome! And we're on the same page when it comes to food! I LOVE to eat! And I'll second Pixiemomma's suggestion for the caramel shop! It sounds heavenly!

Your trip is almost here!

 

[dtr_angel]

I have never had a Dole Whip... not a huge fan of pineapple, so I probably won't ever try one, LOL!

I am all over one of those Butterfinger Cupcakes! Or the Chocolate Peanut Butter one. Or Red Velvet. GAH! How will I ever choose?!

One stop I am looking forward to is the new caramel shop in the Germany pavilion! If you haven't checked that place out, do so at once! Those treats look heavenly.

Well if you don't like pineapple, then I guess you're not missing out. I love pineapple so Dole Whips are awesome - I actually had my first one in Hawaii!

All 3 of those cupcakes sound amazing - red velvet is my weakness.

I love caramel too (don't have to take any allergy meds haha) so that sounds good, I'll definitely check it out!

Good luck with all of your exams, clinicals and upcoming stuff!

For snacks- I would consider stopping by Auntie Gravities in Tomorrowland in the MK for a smoothie. The orange pineapple is really good! The cappucino smoothie is good too.

At EPCOT, there are bakery cases in France and also Sunshine Seasons in the Land which both have huge selections. The SSSS (Sunshine Seasons strawberry shortcake) is really yummy. We love this counter service place- so you could either have a meal or just a snack here.

If that is too much sweet stuff at EP, you could always transfer the frozen banana over to AK- you are short on snacks there and it can get really hot there.

Thanks! I have extra reason to be exciting for my upcoming trip! I've had smoothies before at Auntie Gravity's, I don't know why I didn't add that to my list. The tropical fruit one was really good!

We'll definitely have to check out the desserts in the France pavillion. I'm looking forward to our dinner at Les Chefs de France! We ate at Sunshine Seasons for lunch on one of our trips - the sandwiches were really good and oh my goodness - the strawberry shortcake!! It was amazing, and they cut the slices so big!

Ooh I didn't know you could get a frozen banana at AK too, I added that to the list. I don't know how I didn't see them before at either place!

Joining in!

I am so sorry about your exam schedule! But the good news is that it'll be over soon and then you'll be headed to Disney!

Your plans sound awesome! And we're on the same page when it comes to food! I LOVE to eat! And I'll second Pixiemomma's suggestion for the caramel shop! It sounds heavenly!

Your trip is almost here!

Hey, welcome!! I definitely cannot wait to be done, this trip to Disney is well deserved for my DH & I - he has been working his butt off to pay for it

For us, it is definitely all about the food! We're looking forward to trying out new TS, CS, and snacks!

 

[jewels1916]

Hi! I've just read your ptr, and your trip is so close!
All of your plans look great, and it seems like y'all are going to have a great time! Good luck with your tests, and I'm going to sub and keep up with your last few weeks until you're at the World!

 

[dtr_angel]

Hi! I've just read your ptr, and your trip is so close!
All of your plans look great, and it seems like y'all are going to have a great time! Good luck with your tests, and I'm going to sub and keep up with your last few weeks until you're at the World!

Thanks for joining in! School and work has kept me so busy that I cannot believe how fast our trip is approaching!! Thanks, I need all the luck I can get on these tests!!

 

[dtr_angel]

Happy Easter!

According to my ticker, there are only 25 days until we are in Disney. I cannot believe how fast the weeks are flying by! I've been reading lots of TR/PTR over the last few months and I've had a lot of fun making new "friends" on the DIS. I've also learned SO much that I didn't know, and think this might be our best trip ever!

I've never made a binder or anything like that to take to the parks with us on our trips, but now I'm thinking I want to... I usually take a folder (that I decorate) that has EMH schedules, park hours, ADRs, etc in it but that's it. I was just reading therussells08 (Joni)'s PTR, and now I think I want a 2011 Disney Passporter - does anyone have any pictures of the inside? I'm thinking it would be good for me, since this is my first time doing a TR and I'll need to take notes.

Last week Truck & I went through our Disney shirts and decided what to bring. Thanks to my good online shopping skills, we have a pretty good collection of Disney tees. I'm trying hard not to be wearing the same shirts that I have on our past 3 trips, but I'm failing miserably! It seems like most of cute summer tops only get worn in Disney. I guess that means that I spend too much of the summer in school & working - not to self, have fun this summer! I've been buying things we need like sunscreen & toiletries and throwing them in one of our suitcases, plus I have a bag of Disney shirts we're taking, but other than that I haven't started packing yet. I also have a few shirts that I want to make - I bought shirts & iron on transfers, I just have to actually make them. I will definitely post pictures when they are done!

My parents & brothers will be helping us out while we are on vacation to feed & water our cat, Nemo who we are leaving alone for the first time, watching our house, and getting the mail, etc. Usually we get something for them and my grandparents from Disney. It gets harder and harder each trip - there are only so many Disney souvenirs and I hate buying things that I know they won't use. I decided to take a different approach this time. I started picking things up to make each of them a little goody bag or box. I'm trying to stay with the Disney theme, but not everything will be Disney. I picked up some Disney pens & notepads at the dollar spot at Target, and some Disney themed chocolate, Kraft Mac & cheese, and fruit snacks at the market. There is tons of Disney stuff at the Dollar Tree, but none of it really works for my adult brothers & parents. I've also been picking up a few inexpensive odds & ends that each of them like to put in. I'd like to buy each of them a Disney World shirt online, I figure they will get worn when we go on our big family trip in Fall 2013 (yes, I've been planning a family vacation for then since our last trip in August of 2009 - I think the countdown and now under 900 days to go LOL) if anyone has any ideas of things I can put in each of their piles, I'm open to suggestions! I think this will take the stress off of searching for gifts while we're in Disney. I'll also probably get them each a gift card for somewhere as a thanks for watching our cat & our house.

I keep getting flight itinerary changes from the airline and it always scares me - it seems like all that has changed each time is the flight number. I hope it stays that way as I love how our flight times worked out. ​

 

[dtr_angel]

Here's a breakdown of our plans for our week at Disney...

Arrival /Day 1
Leave for airport at 430 flight lands in Orlando around 1030
Take DME to AKL, check in & have CS lunch at Mara
Explore AKL, get settled in the room when it’s ready, possibly swim and/or nap – if we’re not tired, possibly go to HS for a while (since we will be avoiding it the next 3 days due to SWW)
1905 – Dinner at Boma
MK – MSEP 2100, Wishes 2200

Day 2
Rope drop MK 0900, CS lunch @ MK
Dinner @ Biergarten 1805
Evening EMH at Epcot 2100-2359

Day 3
AK rope drop 0800, Tusker House breakfast @ 0915
CS lunch @ AK
Dinner @ Kouzzina (Boardwalk) 1855
MK – MSEP 2100, Wishes 2200

Day 4
AK rope drop 0800
Lunch @ Cookes of Dublin/ DD
Dinner @ Grand Floridian Café 1855
MK – MSEP 2100, Wishes 2200
MK EMH 2300-0200

Day 5
Sleep in!
DD/Lunch @ Earl of Sandwich
AK/ Dinner @ Yak & Yeti 1700
HS EMH 1900-2200

Day 6
Epcot rope drop 0800
Lunch @ La Cantina de San Angel
HS/ Dinner @ Mama Melrose 1850
Fantasmic 2100

Day 7
HS rope drop 0800
CS lunch @ HS
Epcot/Dinner @ Les Chefs de France 1830
MK/ Wishes 2100

I'm really excited about our plans. I'm really hoping we'll be able to squeeze some time in to go to a water park while we are there.

​

 

[jewels1916]

Your plans look great! And your ticker makes me super jealous.