Plan, plan and plan some more-AKA Mom's driving her son nuts- A September 2017 PTR

[Raeven]

I hadn't been to the outlet store in a long time.

Yeah, the Disney dollars were fun. They had pictures of all different characters on them.

I haven't really decided on the date yet. LOL!! I don't really dress up. My costume last year was a T-shirt with a pumpkin on it. LOL!!

I think I went to one last in 2012

Aw that does sound fun!

I think we'd do Tuesday the 12th. Last year I just wore a shirt that said "Boo to You" I find it's usually too hot to dress up too much.

 

[CatNipRules]

I think I went to one last in 2012

Aw that does sound fun!

I think we'd do Tuesday the 12th. Last year I just wore a shirt that said "Boo to You" I find it's usually too hot to dress up too much.

I agree that it's too hot to dress up. We did ours last year after we did the Backstage Magic tour. The great thing about that was that they would have let us just stay in the park, but we wanted to go back to our hotel and get freshened up.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so this is Chris me and my husband Mike back in 2001. Can you guess who Chris was? LOL!

View attachment 221885


Let me just tell you one thing. Chris was hot. Miserably hot. The type of hot where sweat was pouring off of the poor kid. And we lived in Florida at the time and were used to the heat. Not only that, but I do believe that it rained. Not like a normal rain, but it rained the entire party. We only kept Chris in it during the trick or treating. The he was out of it very quickly. LOL!!

Now however, we live in Alabama and he says that it's too cold here. LOL!! I just can win with him.

I'm really upset about something today. Because I cancelled my Target debit card and started buying them at Sams. Well, I was at Sams today and was looking at the gift cards. Well, every single Disney gift card was gone. The signs were still up for them. So, I'm hoping that they were just sold out. Because I would think if they stopped carrying them then the signs would be gone also. Since our Spring break is coming up soon I'm thinking a lot of people are going to Disney for that.

Chris made the comment that not that many people go. I then reminded him that when we lived in Florida I was surprised at the number of people from Alabama that went to Disney World during Spring break. He asked how I remembered. Well, their Spring break is right around Chris' birthday. And we would always take him to Disney for his birthday. So, I'm hoping that they will get them back in stock. Otherwise I will just cry. LOL!!

I decided that I might buy 1 day of Universal Express Unlimited for 1 day for both parks. It's still going to be cheaper than staying on site.

I'm also going to give Jordan the book about Disney and everything to do there. That way he can read it and be a little familiar with what there is to do. I keep asking Chris questions and his standard answer is, "I don't know. Ask him..." Argh....

The kid knows how to drive me absolutely crazy....LOL!!

I'm wanting to vlog during this trip. We have a GoPro 4. With extra batteries and memory cards. We even have a little case kind of thing that helps in case of wind. Chris told me I'm going to have to do most of the talking because he freezes up. LOL!! I'm fine with that. LOL!!

I was also informed that when we stop for lunch, we will be eating in the restaurant. He doesn't trust anyone to drive while they eat. This is what I have to deal with. LOL!! Oh and I bought some cool shoes. LOL!! They are light up shoes and I got them online. I love them. The cool part is that charge with a USB cable. Hehehehe...Chris thinks I'm nuts... I probably am, I'm I love them.

And since I know I didn't post them, here are my custom made Mickey Ears...



And one more. This one I want to have Eeyore and Goofy sign. Because my husband loved Goofy and I love Eeyore.



One last thing. I'm going to visit my Aunt next month. She lives in Florida about an hour and half from Disney. So, I'm going to go make a visit to Downtown Disney. I asked Chris if he wanted me to text him before I bought any shirts. His reply was we have enough shirts for a year....Really? There's no such thing as too many shirts. LOL!! I then proceeded to tell him that Jordan doesn't have matching shirts. LOL!! He just looked at me funny and rolled his eyes. LOL!!

Sorry that I'm so long winded.... One last thing. I'm really hoping that they are still doing Rivers of Light in September. I'm going to be really upset if we miss another night time show....Ugh...

 

[Raeven]

Love the ears!

I think this is the final version of Rivers of Light so I see this being something they keep at least for a few years.

I want to vlog too! Hopefully in May will be my first time vlogging. I'm so awkward on camera but I'm trying. So hopefully we'll both be vlogging in Sep

 

[CatNipRules]

Love the ears!

I think this is the final version of Rivers of Light so I see this being something they keep at least for a few years.

I want to vlog too! Hopefully in May will be my first time vlogging. I'm so awkward on camera but I'm trying. So hopefully we'll both be vlogging in Sep

I hope so. I'm not seeing any showtimes for September yet. I just get worried ahead of time. LOL!!

I'm awkward also. LOL! I figure if I do it a little before hand it might be less awkward...LOL!!

 

[Raeven]

I hope so. I'm not seeing any showtimes for September yet. I just get worried ahead of time. LOL!!

I'm awkward also. LOL! I figure if I do it a little before hand it might be less awkward...LOL!!

Some of the shows don't go out very far. Star Wars fireworks still don't show up for May, but they've been adding them in month by month so I bet they will.

Me too lol

 

[CatNipRules]

Some of the shows don't go out very far. Star Wars fireworks still don't show up for May, but they've been adding them in month by month so I bet they will.

Me too lol

That's good to know. I was getting majorly depressed. LOL!! Last year when we were there we missed the Jungle book show by literally 2 days. To say it annoyed me was an understatement!! LOL!!

I figure that I'll just pretend that there's no camera there.I'll pretend like I'm talking to Chris or myself. Which I talk to myself more than I should...LOL!!

 

[CatNipRules]

Nothing really new to report except that I'm getting increasingly annoyed at my TA..... I emailed her a week ago with a question about different restaurants and my shellfish allergy. I wanted to know if she could advise as to which restaurants I should avoid. Asked her if she could or not? I would think it would be a simple question right? Apparently not. Because I haven't heard anything from her.I would be fine with a quick yes or no. I would even understand her telling me she would get back to me. However, she hasn't said a dang thing to me. Nothing. Not a word from her. She's normally pretty good about answering my questions. I sent a follow up email this morning. Trying not to get annoyed, but it's hard. Thankfully I've got about 2 weeks until I need to make them.... I also have a Facebook friend that works for Disney and she's been helping me.

I've been watching and waiting for April the Giraffe to have her baby...Just when I think somethings gonna happen, she poops....LOL!! It's addictive...LOL!!

Not much else new to report.... I think I have most of my ADR's figured out....There are a few gaps, but I know we have a few places we like to eat in the parks that aren't very busy... I'm just really hoping to get Be Our Guest for dinner. I know I'll need to get up super early, but not sure if I should call or do it online...Hmmmm... We've never eaten there for dinner before....

 

[Raeven]

Nothing really new to report except that I'm getting increasingly annoyed at my TA..... I emailed her a week ago with a question about different restaurants and my shellfish allergy. I wanted to know if she could advise as to which restaurants I should avoid. Asked her if she could or not? I would think it would be a simple question right? Apparently not. Because I haven't heard anything from her.I would be fine with a quick yes or no. I would even understand her telling me she would get back to me. However, she hasn't said a dang thing to me. Nothing. Not a word from her. She's normally pretty good about answering my questions. I sent a follow up email this morning. Trying not to get annoyed, but it's hard.

That is annoying! I would think that was a simple enough question for her to answer right away. Hopefully she'll answer the follow up email promptly. If you look for the allergy menus online sometimes you can find them and things will be labeled by which allergy can still eat them. There might even be reviews somewhere with someone who had the same allergy. I know I've found a few people online that review gluten free (Josh's allergy) and I've seen some allergy menus with all the allergies included (although they aren't always up to date).

I know I'll need to get up super early, but not sure if I should call or do it online...Hmmmm... We've never eaten there for dinner before....

If you book Be Our Guest online you can do it at 6 am, the phone lines don't open till 7 am so I feel like that would be an advantage for the harder ones. I have had some computer/app glitches on the day of, but I've managed to get Be Our Guest when we've wanted it, and booking from the computer is usually less glitchy than the app. I prefer booking on the computer because I can see all the times myself, and I feel like it's quicker overall.

 

[CatNipRules]

That is annoying! I would think that was a simple enough question for her to answer right away. Hopefully she'll answer the follow up email promptly. If you look for the allergy menus online sometimes you can find them and things will be labeled by which allergy can still eat them. There might even be reviews somewhere with someone who had the same allergy. I know I've found a few people online that review gluten free (Josh's allergy) and I've seen some allergy menus with all the allergies included (although they aren't always up to date).



If you book Be Our Guest online you can do it at 6 am, the phone lines don't open till 7 am so I feel like that would be an advantage for the harder ones. I have had some computer/app glitches on the day of, but I've managed to get Be Our Guest when we've wanted it, and booking from the computer is usually less glitchy than the app. I prefer booking on the computer because I can see all the times myself, and I feel like it's quicker overall.

Yeah. I'm going to be getup super early to make the ADRs. I'm really hoping for Be Our Guest for dinner. Lol.

The thing that's Ricky about my allergy is that I can't even be around shellfish when it's cooking. It's that bad. I'm not even sure that she can help, but I figure that she might. I finally messaged her on Facebook and she is out of the office and will get back to me Monday. Sighs.

 

[Raeven]

Yeah. I'm going to be getup super early to make the ADRs. I'm really hoping for Be Our Guest for dinner. Lol.

The thing that's Ricky about my allergy is that I can't even be around shellfish when it's cooking. It's that bad. I'm not even sure that she can help, but I figure that she might. I finally messaged her on Facebook and she is out of the office and will get back to me Monday. Sighs.

If you're on the computer at 6 am you should be able to get it!

Oh that is bad! Would you have to stay away from any restaurant that served shellfish or you just couldn't be seated near the kitchen? Ugh. I thought TAs were supposed to be easily available in case there's an issue?

 

[CatNipRules]

If you're on the computer at 6 am you should be able to get it!

Oh that is bad! Would you have to stay away from any restaurant that served shellfish or you just couldn't be seated near the kitchen? Ugh. I thought TAs were supposed to be easily available in case there's an issue?

Keeping my fingers crossed.

I can go if they serve shellfish. I just can't be where the steam from the cooking is around. Or there is a really heavy shellfish smell in the air. If that makes sense. I've already ruled out a few restaurants. Mostly because Chris won't eat shellfish because he worries about my allergy. I note it on my reservations and the chefs are usually good about coming out and telling me which foods are safe to eat. We eat at T-Rex and I know that I'm not able to have the cheese sticks because they are cooked in the same oil as the fried shrimp. That's standard for most places that serve shrimp. My friend warned me that Tiffins is probably a no go. As well as Cape May for dinner. Paddlefish is off the menu. I think every other place I've selected is okay. I do bring my epi pen so that if there is an issue I'm prepared.

Yeah, she's usually really, really good about getting back to me. At least she has been in the past. Even if she just drops me a line to let me know she's out of the office and will get back to me when she gets back. I'm not really mad, I was just concerned....

 

[Raeven]

Keeping my fingers crossed.

I'll keep them crossed for you too! I started looking for a last minute BOG lunch reservation for May. It would be fine if we didn't get it, but I'm hoping to find one.

I can go if they serve shellfish. I just can't be where the steam from the cooking is around. Or there is a really heavy shellfish smell in the air. If that makes sense.

Ooo okay I got it now.

at T-Rex and I know that I'm not able to have the cheese sticks because they are cooked in the same oil as the fried shrimp. That's standard for most places that serve shrimp. My friend warned me that Tiffins is probably a no go. As well as Cape May for dinner. Paddlefish is off the menu. I think every other place I've selected is okay. I do bring my epi pen so that if there is an issue I'm prepared.

Aw. That does make sense though. Josh has to have dedicated fryer for his allergies so a lot of fried food are out for him too.

Yeah, she's usually really, really good about getting back to me. At least she has been in the past. Even if she just drops me a line to let me know she's out of the office and will get back to me when she gets back. I'm not really mad, I was just concerned....

I'd be concerned too if she always answered promptly in the past.

 

[CatNipRules]

My travel agent finally got back to me. She had to email Disney Dining and is waiting to hear back from them. I can understand that. So, I'll wait to hear back from her. LOL!!

I'm firming up my dining choices.

I Guess because I'm such an obsessive planner, it blows my mind to watch people complain about going to Disney and it being crowded. I was watching a YouTube video and this one woman complained about everything. From the wait times to the fact that you have to get your Fast passes in advance for the 7 Dwarves Mine Train. Uh, yeah. Then her boyfriend pipes in with that ridiculous. If she would have done her research she would have known that the time of year she went was one of the busiest times to go. President's Day weekend.....I don't think so. It's nuts that time of year. She complained about the wait times. She complained about the rides. She even complained about the fireworks.Ugh...Just because you didn't due your research doesn't make Disney the bad guy....

Has anyone ever had a member of your family get mad at your for going to Disney? My sister, who lives in Florida, thinks that I'm stupid for going so often. Uh no. She's not Disney obsessed like me.

OKay, so I need advice. Do you guys go to the parks that are having the EMH or do you skip them and go to another park? I've heard that they can be more crowded on EMH days. I'm still trying to decide.....

 

[Raeven]

My travel agent finally got back to me. She had to email Disney Dining and is waiting to hear back from them. I can understand that. So, I'll wait to hear back from her. LOL!!

Good to hear she's looking into it!

She complained about the wait times. She complained about the rides. She even complained about the fireworks.Ugh...Just because you didn't due your research doesn't make Disney the bad guy....

So true. As someone who plans it seems so weird to me that people would do no research before going somewhere.

Has anyone ever had a member of your family get mad at your for going to Disney? My sister, who lives in Florida, thinks that I'm stupid for going so often. Uh no. She's not Disney obsessed like me.

YES! I have family and coworkers who act like it's weird or they don't "get" why you would go more than once. I used to have a boss that was more than a little rude about it. Some of them are people who I think want to go but don't want to invest the time/money into it, but others just don't like it. Usually those people haven't been though. Like that boss said he's never been but "they must only have 2 rides or something why do people like going?" Or they're people who take the same vacation every year (beach, cabin, etc) but don't understand why people would go to Disney every year.

OKay, so I need advice. Do you guys go to the parks that are having the EMH or do you skip them and go to another park? I've heard that they can be more crowded on EMH days. I'm still trying to decide.....

Sometimes. I know that's unhelpful. I don't skip them because of EMH, but we can't always get to EMH due to other plans or being tired. I never use the morning ones, because we get up early enough there and we like to sleep in a little, and the night ones don't always line up with our plans. I've only done night ones, but I don't think they're that bad or that the park is any worse because of them.

 

[Sarahh1027]

I'm all caught up!! I love your customized Mickey ears. This is the first trip I plan on using extra magic hours...aside from my very first trip which I don't remember as much as I should.
We're park hopping this year so I think we're going to spend most of the day in one park then hop over to enjoy extra magic hours.

 

[CatNipRules]

I'm all caught up!! I love your customized Mickey ears. This is the first trip I plan on using extra magic hours...aside from my very first trip which I don't remember as much as I should.
We're park hopping this year so I think we're going to spend most of the day in one park then hop over to enjoy extra magic hours.

Heck we did them last time and I don't remember what it was like. LOL!! I'm wanting to spend the majority of time in one park. I've built my ADR's around them. Now, I'm second guessing everything.

 

[VACamm]

I love your Mickey ears! They are just so cute!

Regarding EMH, we try to not go to the park that has EMH because it tends to get more crowded. Our strategy is to go the NEXT day to the park that had the EMH the day BEFORE because odds are the attendance will be lower!

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so now I'm having second thoughts about everything. My ADR's. What days to do what parks. Whether or not to do EMH. Ugh... I hate when I get like this.I know that there are a few restaurants that we absolutely have to do ADR's for and some that you can walk up to. Since we have park hoppers, I'm wondering if it's smart to do all my ADR's in one park? I honestly have no idea. I think I need to quit overthinking things.

I think I mentioned this, but I'm going to visit my Aunt at the end of this month. I'm hoping to take a day to visit Epcot. Another friend that lives in Orlando wants to meet with me. We've met her before on a previous trip and have had fun.

And I'm thinking of doing something crazy. Originally we were planning on staying at an offsite hotel for our Universal portion of the trip. Now, I'm reconsidering that plan. I'm wanting to stay onsite at the Royal Pacific Resort. It's about $200 more than the hotel offsite, but I was thinking about getting the Universal Express pass for 1 day. If we were to stay onsite it would be included, plus we would get early entry and not have to pay for parking at the parks. Since I already have tickets, it would be $1278.00. The offsite hotel is $375. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth it or not. This is where you guys come in. Stay offsite or go for the onsite stay??? I know we would have more money for souvenirs, but figuring the difference with parking is about $500....And I would get the Express pass for the whole stay and not just 1 day....Decisions, decisions....Someone please help me decide...LOL!!

 

[VACamm]

Okay, so now I'm having second thoughts about everything. My ADR's. What days to do what parks. Whether or not to do EMH. Ugh... I hate when I get like this.I know that there are a few restaurants that we absolutely have to do ADR's for and some that you can walk up to. Since we have park hoppers, I'm wondering if it's smart to do all my ADR's in one park? I honestly have no idea. I think I need to quit overthinking things.

I think I mentioned this, but I'm going to visit my Aunt at the end of this month. I'm hoping to take a day to visit Epcot. Another friend that lives in Orlando wants to meet with me. We've met her before on a previous trip and have had fun.

And I'm thinking of doing something crazy. Originally we were planning on staying at an offsite hotel for our Universal portion of the trip. Now, I'm reconsidering that plan. I'm wanting to stay onsite at the Royal Pacific Resort. It's about $200 more than the hotel offsite, but I was thinking about getting the Universal Express pass for 1 day. If we were to stay onsite it would be included, plus we would get early entry and not have to pay for parking at the parks. Since I already have tickets, it would be $1278.00. The offsite hotel is $375. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth it or not. This is where you guys come in. Stay offsite or go for the onsite stay??? I know we would have more money for souvenirs, but figuring the difference with parking is about $500....And I would get the Express pass for the whole stay and not just 1 day....Decisions, decisions....Someone please help me decide...LOL!!

I feel your pain!! 2 years ago, my son and I went on a mom / son only trip to Universal Studios / IOA for 4 days on Spring Break. We literally were in the same boat as you! I weighed the options over and over about hotels and Express Pass. In the end, we stayed at Royal Pacific Resort, WHICH WAS AMAAAAAAZING!!!! The front of the line passes were so so so so so worth every penny of the high priced resort room. I will say that the resort was absolutely gorgeous too. My personal opinion is, if you can afford it, stay on property.