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

[1stvisit0909]

We can help as much or as little as you would like. Most of us are major planners, so I dont want to scare you away. You should probably at least get an idea of what your must dos are in each park.

Is it sad that I was getting excited with something to plan? I have nothing to do right now on our plan.

 

[PrincessAurora27]

I thought the same thing. I mean, we are a chatty group, but I dont need to know everything!! LOL

I thought the same thing too!

I have a bag with a few things in it. I need to get back to storage to get some of my capris and my BIG suitcase. 41 days until we leave. We just started our must do list. I made an Excel spreadsheet with all of the attractions at each park. We each have a column and put an x in the cell if we want to do it. This way we make sure we get to the things we both want and can compromise on the things that one does and the other doesn't.

I finished up my dining spreadsheet last night. Since we have the DxDP, I want to see if it made financial sense in the end. So I have a spreadsheet with our ADRs and how much I estimate they would have cost us OOP. Then I'll put in how much they actually were and see how far off I was.

I feel like I'm in that lull too. Maybe tonight I'll print my Mousekeeping envelopes, if we still have power.

 

[Valgoof]

Is it sad that I was getting excited with something to plan? I have nothing to do right now on our plan.

I know!! Poor Wendimn isn't going to know what hit her. We are all salivating to plan something!!

 

[Wendimn]

Oh ok good. Your first couple posts had me scared. This one sounds like you know what you are getting into.

Haha...ohh yes. I have been warned about this time of year.

 

[Wendimn]

I know!! Poor Wendimn isn't going to know what hit her. We are all salivating to plan something!!

Do you guys right stuff down? Do touring plans on websites? How do you keep track of everything once you start planning? I plan to follow easywdw for their crowd plan/schedule.

 

[Valgoof]

I have my "need to buy" list in Word. Is there a way to strikethrough like there is in Excel? I want to cross it off the list, but not delete it.

ETA: Never mind. I found it. I just had to look.

 

[1stvisit0909]

I know!! Poor Wendimn isn't going to know what hit her. We are all salivating to plan something!!

I know. I went to the Disney store to look for stuff for levenhopper and decided that was just strange. A girl has to have standards. But I did see more cute stuff for me, but didnt click add to cart.



Yet.

 

[ksromack]

Hello everyone Reporting from the Bahamas regarding Hurricane Sandy

My husband and I had a miserable night, but of course the girls slept right through everything! Oh, and some good news...I finally found my other cat, Pookie! She looks a little shook up and wet, but once she smelled the can of cat food, she was hopping right towards me (YES, she hops when she gets excited...her original name she came with was Bunny and now we know why, lol )

I'm really hoping that by tomorrow we might get power again!!! I'm really praying for all of you that are in Sandy's expected path. It is definitely a huge storm that we've been feeling now for 3 days now.

Please stay safe, everyone!!!

I just keep telling myself, 48 more days until Disney

It is so good to hear fe you! Here's hoping the next 45 days go by very quickly for you!

 

[Valgoof]

Do you guys right stuff down? Do touring plans on websites? How do you keep track of everything once you start planning? I plan to follow easywdw for their crowd plan/schedule.

I have a calendar in Word and a spreadsheet in Excel. I know others use Google docs. Some people love the touring plans website and others (like me) have never used it. Easywdw is what I go by for crowd levels too. Staying offsite, I would avoid the parks with EMH for sure. How many days will you be in Disney?

 

[cybrkitn]

Morning everyone!

I love seeing kids in their costumes they are so cute!!! We may get a handful of kids from the building but trick or treating in the city just isn't the same as in the burbs.

I'm logged in and working from home today. So far we have some wind and a little rain. Our windows face a courtyard that's between the buildings. There's a nice updraft right now and there are leaves floating up! When I saw the first one, while still in bed, I thought it was a bird.

We're outside the secondary evacuation zones by a block or two and we are on the 6th floor. I'm watching the news and I'm not looking forward to later tonight.

But on the good news front - I got a Disney Store email this morning with free shipping! I really do want a 2012 Duffy bear! Let's see what else I can possibly order.

Hope everyone in the path of Sandy is safe and dry and those that aren't have an awesome day!

How is it in NYC? Right now we just have the winds and rain, which is probably what you have as well. A few of DH's friends from high school are already going out by the water and taking pictures to post on FB. One of them actually rode her bike down to the water, which is about a 15 minute bike ride since she only lives a few doors down from us. Someone else went down to Smithpoint beach and posted a video on DH's FB page. Right now there is no beach.

I was up till about 1/1:30 last night making sure the last of the laundry and dishes were done before going to bed. Didn't want to be in the situation where we had no clothes or dishes should the power go out. Which thankfully, we still have.

Oh, and DS10 made pancakes for us this morning and coffee for DH. I think this is the first time he did it without any supervision. Usually DS and I do it together.

 

[Wendimn]

I have a calendar in Word and a spreadsheet in Excel. I know others use Google docs. Some people love the touring plans website and others (like me) have never used it. Easywdw is what I go by for crowd levels too. Staying offsite, I would avoid the parks with EMH for sure. How many days will you be in Disney?

We will be there for 8 days. I'm am not computer smart..lmao..so will have to see what I have to work with.

 

[PrincessAurora27]

The one the Fox is getting this year that I'm hoping I can snag a ticket for is Book of Mormon. We'll probably get it in KC next year since it's so popular, but I'd definitely drive out to STL to get to see it this year! Wicked is FANTASTIC! The other one the Fox is getting this year that we've seen that was phenomenal is Million Dollar Quartet. If you haven't seen either of those yet they are definitely a treat!

If you can see Book of Mormon, do it! I bought DBF tix for his birthday earlier this year. It was awesome!

 

[M&MGirl1]

Thank you!! I am just trying to pick the "best" days at the busiest time of year..lol. We of course want to do the big stuff at every park. We were there 14yrs ago..so I am calling this our first trip.. We plan to be at rope drop for whatever park we are going to do that day. Get to the #1 ride on our list..then fastpasses for the other.

The EasyWDW has a great crowd calendar that should help you get a better idea of which park is the "best" to visit on each day of your trip. His calendar is great because he actually explains why he recommends or doesn't recommend a park on any given day. He's also got a ton of great touring strategy suggestions you may want to take a look at. That site is free. Touring Plans is another great website, but you have to pay for a membership to it, and if you aren't a commando touring nut using it for the personalized touring plans it may not be worth the $12 to you.

When I planned our big 2010 trip (our first ever) I was totally freaked out - everything seemed too difficult, hard to understand, and I was paranoid about not getting everything "right". I ended up buying a copy of the Unofficial Guide to WDW and that book was fantastic. The people who write it are the same people who do the Touring Plans website. Best $14 I ever spent. It gave me a much more realistic idea of what to expect and our trip wouldn't have turned out half as good as it did without that book. You may want to see if your library has a recent edition of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, or just spend the $14 or so and buy one. The descriptions and ratings of all the rides in the book gave me a much better idea of what to focus our attention and time on trying to ride. Not having been in 14 years, that might help you figure out what to concentrate on.

If you just want to figure out what park you are doing each day and then wing it from there, I would suggest downloading a couple of wait time apps if you have a smart phone (actually, I'd suggest that no matter how much you decide to plan out in advance). Those will help you a lot with figuring out what to ride when, and they usually tell you what the current return times on Fast Passes are too. Saves a lot of time and walking!

 

[Valgoof]

I thought the same thing too!

I have a bag with a few things in it. I need to get back to storage to get some of my capris and my BIG suitcase. 41 days until we leave. We just started our must do list. I made an Excel spreadsheet with all of the attractions at each park. We each have a column and put an x in the cell if we want to do it. This way we make sure we get to the things we both want and can compromise on the things that one does and the other doesn't.

I finished up my dining spreadsheet last night. Since we have the DxDP, I want to see if it made financial sense in the end. So I have a spreadsheet with our ADRs and how much I estimate they would have cost us OOP. Then I'll put in how much they actually were and see how far off I was.

I feel like I'm in that lull too. Maybe tonight I'll print my Mousekeeping envelopes, if we still have power.

Like the idea of the attraction list and marking what you want to do. I just assume DH will follow me. There are a couple rides, I know he won't ride like EE and RnRC. But he knows he is going to wait for me to ride.

The dining spreadsheet is a great idea too, so you know for your next trip. I plan to save receipts, but that always seems to last the first 2 days for me.

 

[jwgm2012]

I thought the same thing too!

I have a bag with a few things in it. I need to get back to storage to get some of my capris and my BIG suitcase. 41 days until we leave. We just started our must do list. I made an Excel spreadsheet with all of the attractions at each park. We each have a column and put an x in the cell if we want to do it. This way we make sure we get to the things we both want and can compromise on the things that one does and the other doesn't.

I finished up my dining spreadsheet last night. Since we have the DxDP, I want to see if it made financial sense in the end. So I have a spreadsheet with our ADRs and how much I estimate they would have cost us OOP. Then I'll put in how much they actually were and see how far off I was.

I feel like I'm in that lull too. Maybe tonight I'll print my Mousekeeping envelopes, if we still have power.

I've got a smallish spreadsheet too - park hours, any ADR info with Conf #'s, and then times for shows like Wishes, Fantasmic, etc... I'm also loading my iphone with tons of info for the different parks like different QS places for at each park, snacks and then also a shopping list for things I HAVE to bring back... I don't want to bust out the paper list when we're there, so much easier just to bring it up on the phone.

 

[Valgoof]

We will be there for 8 days. I'm am not computer smart..lmao..so will have to see what I have to work with.

I should have guessed that when you asked if we write things down. But, you are on here and easywdw, so that is a great start!!

 

[Wendimn]

I should have guessed that when you asked if we write things down. But, you are on here and easywdw, so that is a great start!!

Haha yup. I can Facebook with the best of them..but when it comes to using programs..not really what I am best at.

 

[PrincessAurora27]

How is it in NYC? Right now we just have the winds and rain, which is probably what you have as well. A few of DH's friends from high school are already going out by the water and taking pictures to post on FB. One of them actually rode her bike down to the water, which is about a 15 minute bike ride since she only lives a few doors down from us. Someone else went down to Smithpoint beach and posted a video on DH's FB page. Right now there is no beach.

I was up till about 1/1:30 last night making sure the last of the laundry and dishes were done before going to bed. Didn't want to be in the situation where we had no clothes or dishes should the power go out. Which thankfully, we still have.

Oh, and DS10 made pancakes for us this morning and coffee for DH. I think this is the first time he did it without any supervision. Usually DS and I do it together.

Both the rain and the wind are picking up. We're in the back of the building and kind of sheltered, but looking around the wind is getting there. FDR drive is closed in places, which isn't far from us. Not looking forward to getting hit by the worst of it.

I hope you are able to stay safe.

 

[cybrkitn]

I

I finished up my dining spreadsheet last night. Since we have the DxDP, I want to see if it made financial sense in the end. So I have a spreadsheet with our ADRs and how much I estimate they would have cost us OOP. Then I'll put in how much they actually were and see how far off I was.

I feel like I'm in that lull too. Maybe tonight I'll print my Mousekeeping envelopes, if we still have power.

There was someone who posted their excel spreadsheet (might have been on either Part 1 or 2 of this thread) for others to use if they wanted. So I used that and tailored it to us. Our whole itinerary is now on that including our confirmations numbers for ADRs. Makes it so much easier.

I'll probably start printing out our Mousekeeping envelopes as early as next week. I still have to buy the envelopes yet to put into our printer.

 

[ksromack]

Kathy - questions for you - are you getting a 2' or a 3' tree? How many ornaments did you make? And how big are they?

I'm trying to visualize a 3' tree and figure out what I need.

3' prelit tree from Walmart ($20). I know I'll need more white lights, tho. The ornaments measure roughly 3.5x2.5" if I'm not mistaken and I made 12 of them. I may have to buy the tree locally and see how crowded it looks. The ornaments may look a little big on the tree I'm afraid. I'm also planning on making Mickey ornaments with the red balls and making a black belt with a gold buckle. I saw something like it at the Disney store, I just have to figure out how to make them...so many ideas, so few branches.