PART THREE! *December 2012 Roll Call* Holidays, FLE & MVMCP!! A very, merry thread!

[Tangelders Ahoy]

Just wanted to drop a line that I started my 1st ever PTR....yeah 40 days out and I start now nothing like waiting till the last minute!!!

 

[SAT887]

We actually found a lost 4 year old boy at Disney World. I can't remember which park now. He was strolling along, not crying. I have a habit of watching single kids that look like they are far from the next adult. I walked up to him and asked him if his parents were around and waited awhile until we were sure they weren't nearby. We asked the nearest cast member what to do and she actually didn't know but called someone and told us where the lost and found was. When we got there we couldn't find anyone working at first because she was in the back. Then when I told her I wanted to wait with him (the parents called and were on their way) she said "I know how to do my job" Needless to say I was disappointed with Disney at that point and should have complained.

Anyway, that said, when I was in line for the Peter Pan ride last time we were at DL there was a toddler with a cell phone number written in large numbers right on her arm with a Sharpie. I thought that was really smart and easy-no chance of losing the information, no need to include any more info than that. If that was the case with Zach, the boy we found, it would have left out the middle man.

The one reassuring thing about WDW is there is a lot of parents there - and most people never ever want to see a child in distress...

I've read a lot of parents make sure to take pictures on their phones every morning to have handy in the case they need to show a CM. Also helps remember what they're wearing...

Plan on doing this as well. My husband thinks I am nuts but I also want to dress my girls in similar clothes - they seem easier to keep an eye too that way.

My son was never the type to run around as a toddler so we never got a harness but I met my son's teacher's 3 year old at an outside school event a couple of weeks ago. Her father was chasing her the whole time. I actually thought 'I would have no problem using the harness at WDW with her!'

My daughter usually stays close to us, however, with all the shiny distractions I can see her potentially getting separated. I don't think she needs a harness because she is pretty good... However she is like her mom and when something shiny goes by we go following "ooooo pretty shiny nice!" think of Dory and Marlin with the fish in deep deep sea that had the light as bait

I have Keens like the one you posted. I am wearing them now. I LOVE that style. Super comfortable and supportive. Looks great with jeans and capris.


Also: curious to read the responses you get to the question you posted about your little ones. There are usually posts about that also on the family board on here. That is something I need to add to my TO DO list.



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Happy FRIDAY everyone! One day closer to Disney and the weekend is HERE!

Thanks for letting me know on the shoes. I love keens (I have 4 pair!) and I tried to find other brands that I liked - but no luck! Darn I will have them in 5-8 days so hopefully I can wear them enough to see how much they need to be broken in.


I think I am going to try the temporary tattoo. Last time my daughter had one on she freaked out - so I will head to walmart find some and try em out. I like the idea of the sharpie so the tattoo should be a little less permanent! That will be my quest this weekend and if it goes well I will get the temp tattoos. I was also thinking of taking the stroller out when we go out the next few weeks (we rarely use the strollers at all now) and maybe give her stickers or something for pushing and holding on to it too...

Well, I'm trying isa but scarred this morning to climb on that pesky scale. I felt so heavy this morning but I guess it was in my had since I know I've been cheating.

Well, the good thing about that is you get on - see what the damage (if any) and get back to work. I like how the scale keeps me in line but I too can be very afraid of it... Like we were mortal enemies....

LoL I just thought u might have been from a San Antonio Texas, which I live close to.

Nah, I'm from NJ - and now in NH

Just wanted to drop a line that I started my 1st ever PTR....yeah 40 days out and I start now nothing like waiting till the last minute!!!

I'll be stopping by!

 

[DisneyMom0709]

Congrats on your weight loss! How did you lose the weight? Any tips. I want to
lose weight for my upcoming trip to Disney! =)

I mainly ate 1200 calories a day, the app called my fitness pal , helped a tons with calorie counting I also worked out 2 hours a day and I lost my weight is 4 months, and now is harder keeping it up lol I love food!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

So I thought I had my days and parks all set, but just changed my whole schedule around. Here is what I WAS going to do:

Nov 29: Arrival, should be at POP by 11am. Check in then head to MK and ride the resort monorail to check out the Christmas decorations. Visit WL, AKL and other resorts for their decorations after. ADR at Rainforest Cafe at 5pm somewhere in there.

Nov 30: Epcot all day with EMH til 12:30am.

Dec 1: AK til closing (6pm), then POP for the rest of the night.

Dec 2: MK all day, first park then MVMCP

Dec 3: DHS all day

Dec 4: DTD, check out any other resorts I may not have gotten to on arrival day, DME by 3pm to go home


After thinking about it I didn't like having only a partial day at MK since I spent 2 full days there in February and didn't feel like it was enough time. So, here is my revised schedule:

Nov 29 (same): Arrival, should be at POP by 11am. Check in then head to MK and ride the resort monorail to check out the Christmas decorations. Visit WL, AKL and other resorts for their decorations after. ADR at Rainforest Cafe at 5pm somewhere in there.

Nov 30 (same): Epcot all day with EMH til 12:30am.

Dec 1: DHS all day (Am EMH included)

Dec 2: AK until 4pm-ish, then over to MK for MVMCP

Dec 3: MK all day, including PM EMH til 11pm

Dec 4 (same): DTD, check out any other resorts I may not have gotten to on arrival day, DME by 3pm to go home


What does everyone think? Any ideas on if I should tweak it again? Since I only have each park one day, and definitely want to do them all, I think it makes the most sense this way so I get the longest time at each park. I know they will be busier since 3 of the 4 have EMH on the day I do them, but I think the extra time balances it out.

 

[geckodani]

So I thought I had my days and parks all set, but just changed my whole schedule around. Here is what I WAS going to do:

Nov 29: Arrival, should be at POP by 11am. Check in then head to MK and ride the resort monorail to check out the Christmas decorations. Visit WL, AKL and other resorts for their decorations after. ADR at Rainforest Cafe at 5pm somewhere in there.

Nov 30: Epcot all day with EMH til 12:30am.

Dec 1: AK til closing (6pm), then POP for the rest of the night.

Dec 2: MK all day, first park then MVMCP

Dec 3: DHS all day

Dec 4: DTD, check out any other resorts I may not have gotten to on arrival day, DME by 3pm to go home


After thinking about it I didn't like having only a partial day at MK since I spent 2 full days there in February and didn't feel like it was enough time. So, here is my revised schedule:

Nov 29 (same): Arrival, should be at POP by 11am. Check in then head to MK and ride the resort monorail to check out the Christmas decorations. Visit WL, AKL and other resorts for their decorations after. ADR at Rainforest Cafe at 5pm somewhere in there.

Nov 30 (same): Epcot all day with EMH til 12:30am.

Dec 1: DHS all day (Am EMH included)

Dec 2: AK until 4pm-ish, then over to MK for MVMCP

Dec 3: MK all day, including PM EMH til 11pm

Dec 4 (same): DTD, check out any other resorts I may not have gotten to on arrival day, DME by 3pm to go home


What does everyone think? Any ideas on if I should tweak it again? Since I only have each park one day, and definitely want to do them all, I think it makes the most sense this way so I get the longest time at each park. I know they will be busier since 3 of the 4 have EMH on the day I do them, but I think the extra time balances it out.

It looks good to me! I've been trying to decide whether to do some tweaking to my own plan as well for similar reasons. Right now we're not doing AK at all. Trying to decide if I want to or not... still leaning NOT. LOL.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

It looks good to me! I've been trying to decide whether to do some tweaking to my own plan as well for similar reasons. Right now we're not doing AK at all. Trying to decide if I want to or not... still leaning NOT. LOL.

I have to do AK, as it is really my favorite park (in a tie with MK...and maybe DHS...and Epcot...ok I love them all!! ). But since it really is easy to get everything done quickly I don't mind leaving it before it closes. MK definitely takes longer even when it's slow since it has so many more attractions, so I know I wouldn't get close to all I wanted to get done in before the party started.

 

[geckodani]

I have to do AK, as it is really my favorite park (in a tie with MK...and maybe DHS...and Epcot...ok I love them all!! ). But since it really is easy to get everything done quickly I don't mind leaving it before it closes. MK definitely takes longer even when it's slow since it has so many more attractions, so I know I wouldn't get close to all I wanted to get done in before the party started.

I guess I just haven't had the AK cool aid.

 

[SAT887]

Just scored an ADR at 8:05am for the Crystal Palace!! Park opens at 9!

 

[M&MGirl1]

After thinking about it I didn't like having only a partial day at MK since I spent 2 full days there in February and didn't feel like it was enough time. So, here is my revised schedule:

Nov 29 (same): Arrival, should be at POP by 11am. Check in then head to MK and ride the resort monorail to check out the Christmas decorations. Visit WL, AKL and other resorts for their decorations after. ADR at Rainforest Cafe at 5pm somewhere in there.

Nov 30 (same): Epcot all day with EMH til 12:30am.

Dec 1: DHS all day (Am EMH included)

Dec 2: AK until 4pm-ish, then over to MK for MVMCP

Dec 3: MK all day, including PM EMH til 11pm

Dec 4 (same): DTD, check out any other resorts I may not have gotten to on arrival day, DME by 3pm to go home


What does everyone think? Any ideas on if I should tweak it again? Since I only have each park one day, and definitely want to do them all, I think it makes the most sense this way so I get the longest time at each park. I know they will be busier since 3 of the 4 have EMH on the day I do them, but I think the extra time balances it out.

I like the new schedule MUCH better. AK doesn't ever take us the whole day, and being out of there by 4 pm or so will allow you to maximize your MVMCP time. Also, since you've got the PM EMH at MK the next day you could possibly sleep in a bit after getting back to Pop late from MVMCP.

Only thing you might want to look into is what adding a 5th day to your ticket would run since you're getting in so early that first day. I believe adding a 5th day to a non-park-hopper ticket would only be around $12 or so. For $12 if you did nothing more than wander around Animal Kingdom for a bit before your Rainforest Cafe dinner or (better yet) got there early enough in the afternoon to catch the Christmas themed parade it'd be worth it.

 

[cybrkitn]

I don't know where you on on LI but I know there's a TJ Maxx in Hicksville. I believe there is also one in Queens at Rego Park (along with a Century 21!). I got my "big" suitcase at TJ Maxx. It's a Ricardo with an awesome suiter section in the front. It's flown all over the midwest when I still travelled for work and has held up beautifully. I think I paid less than $50 for it on clearance.

I just came back from the mall with my mom. She's 67, but we really enjoy going out together while DS10 is in school. While we were there, we went into Sears and found a 3 pc set that includes: one 24" case, one 18" case and a 15" carry on tote. The regular price is $139. The sale price? Wait for it, wait for it.....$38.99!!!! I immediately called DH and told him about it. The sale just started today and ends on the 27th. I would have loved to have picked up two sets today, but we can't get them until Wednesday when DH gets paid. I just hope Sears still has them on Wednesday!

I mainly ate 1200 calories a day, the app called my fitness pal , helped a tons with calorie counting I also worked out 2 hours a day and I lost my weight is 4 months, and now is harder keeping it up lol I love food!

DH recently got me on MyFitnessPal as well. I was under my calories limit 2 days ago and slightly over (by 18g) yesterday. I've only lost about 1 lb, but I've also just started logging in my food intake. Which reminds me, I still have to log my lunch in for today!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I like the new schedule MUCH better. AK doesn't ever take us the whole day, and being out of there by 4 pm or so will allow you to maximize your MVMCP time. Also, since you've got the PM EMH at MK the next day you could possibly sleep in a bit after getting back to Pop late from MVMCP.

Only thing you might want to look into is what adding a 5th day to your ticket would run since you're getting in so early that first day. I believe adding a 5th day to a non-park-hopper ticket would only be around $12 or so. For $12 if you did nothing more than wander around Animal Kingdom for a bit before your Rainforest Cafe dinner or (better yet) got there early enough in the afternoon to catch the Christmas themed parade it'd be worth it.

I have been considering adding a 5th day to my ticket. I do really want to tour the resorts and see the Christmas decorations as I've never seen them at any resort except POP though. I could do it on my last day, instead of DTD and just do little things at DTD after my dinner at RFC on my arrival day. I don't have much to do there, so I could get it all done in an hour or 2. And I did check, and you are right that it's $12 only to add that 5th day. I think I'll email Small World right now and get that 5th day added Thanks!

 

[Devi8or]

Ok here's a question regarding offsite stays.

We won't be onsite for our stay but I would love to visit the different resorts while we're there. So my question is, can I openly drive up to and park at the various resorts? Am I gonna run into any kind of trouble where they won't let me?

 

[Mom2Cody06]

Just scored an ADR at 8:05am for the Crystal Palace!! Park opens at 9!

Jealous!!!!!! I'm still stalking!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Just wanted to drop a line that I started my 1st ever PTR....yeah 40 days out and I start now nothing like waiting till the last minute!!!

Don't feel bad, I'm at 42 days and hoping I can start mine next week. I'm still wrapping up my TR for my February trip as I got behind.

Just scored an ADR at 8:05am for the Crystal Palace!! Park opens at 9!

Congrats!!!! I am still trying to get one for my trip

 

[levenhopper]

Just scored an ADR at 8:05am for the Crystal Palace!! Park opens at 9!

Congrats!

 

[1stvisit0909]

So, I dreamed last night that because the kids were out of school yesterday and today for fall break, we loaded up, drove to orlando and went to JUST MNSSHP. And came back. I told this to my DH and he just shook his head. Then of course I went to check out the schedule if you are gonna dream, dream, right? Blah no party til Sunday. Boo.

So, in order to get my Disney fix w/o being on the road 13 hours....

DDs and I found the Disney documentaries on Netflix, and have watched them today. We've never been to AK, so watching the one about AK was cool.

Watching the one about WDW is where I am going to get in trouble....

DD7 saw BBB and said MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Uhoh. I told her that I thought she said she didnt want to be all princessesy anymore. She said:

MOM that is NOT what I said!

DD11 said: mom, that was me. BUT that BBB thing looks pretty cool.

I guess there is still a little bit of Princess in her after all.

Txt'd Dh and said, remember how I talked about how much mnsshp would be? yeah well, looks likes you are still gonna be out that money if I can get a ressie for BBB!!!

I really doubt that it isnt booked solid - but I told them I would try. I mean, DD11 really is almost out the little girl stuff. I feel like this might be my last chance to see it.

see? I'm in trouble.

 

[WedgieSock]

Haha I am a giant weirdo and if need be wear socks with even crocs. I love argyle socks too which adds to my weirdo ness.... I might get a pair of the liner socks just in case for when I wear a dress or two

I've already shown my husband the other style so maybe he gets the hint!

I love weirdo's ... especially giant ones

Just scored an ADR at 8:05am for the Crystal Palace!! Park opens at 9!

Yay for you! We have an 8.05am one also with park opening at 9pm - think of the lovely photos!!

I just came back from the mall with my mom. She's 67, but we really enjoy going out together while DS10 is in school. While we were there, we went into Sears and found a 3 pc set that includes: one 24" case, one 18" case and a 15" carry on tote. The regular price is $139. The sale price? Wait for it, wait for it.....$38.99!!!! I immediately called DH and told him about it. The sale just started today and ends on the 27th. I would have loved to have picked up two sets today, but we can't get them until Wednesday when DH gets paid. I just hope Sears still has them on Wednesday!

What a fantastic price! Fingers crossed they still have them

Ok here's a question regarding offsite stays.

We won't be onsite for our stay but I would love to visit the different resorts while we're there. So my question is, can I openly drive up to and park at the various resorts? Am I gonna run into any kind of trouble where they won't let me?

I'm really not sure - I do know that you can park at a resort that isn't yours for up to 3 hours, anymore than that you can valet park which is $12. I'm not sure how that works for off-site guests though.

 

[WedgieSock]

So, I dreamed last night that because the kids were out of school yesterday and today for fall break, we loaded up, drove to orlando and went to JUST MNSSHP. And came back. I told this to my DH and he just shook his head. Then of course I went to check out the schedule if you are gonna dream, dream, right? Blah no party til Sunday. Boo.

So, in order to get my Disney fix w/o being on the road 13 hours....

DDs and I found the Disney documentaries on Netflix, and have watched them today. We've never been to AK, so watching the one about AK was cool.

Watching the one about WDW is where I am going to get in trouble....

DD7 saw BBB and said MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Uhoh. I told her that I thought she said she didnt want to be all princessesy anymore. She said:

MOM that is NOT what I said!

DD11 said: mom, that was me. BUT that BBB thing looks pretty cool.

I guess there is still a little bit of Princess in her after all.

Txt'd Dh and said, remember how I talked about how much mnsshp would be? yeah well, looks likes you are still gonna be out that money if I can get a ressie for BBB!!!

I really doubt that it isnt booked solid - but I told them I would try. I mean, DD11 really is almost out the little girl stuff. I feel like this might be my last chance to see it.

see? I'm in trouble.

HA! Hope you have learned your lesson

 

[1stvisit0909]

HA! Hope you have learned your lesson

YES! No watching Disney documentaries!!!

 

[ses1230]

So my two kids are 3 and 15 months... I was trying to think of a way to best identify my 3 year old bc she is a free spirit. I was thinking a necklace with our cell, but worried she might not wear it, the business card in pocket but not all of her clothes have pockets.... Safety tats too but if she's wearing long sleeves.... What are you guys doing?

I buy silicone bands personalized with our cell number and when they were little I put it on their ankle. They forgot about it since it was out of their sight.