Playlist Schmaylist --- I'M GOING BACK TO DISNEY!!!!

[Victoriasmom98]

Playlist Schmaylist --- I'M GOING BACK TO DISNEY!!!!

When: March 20th through March 29
Where: First part Caribe Royale, Disney part Pop Century!
Why: PlayList Live 2014 & DISNEY!
Who: Me, my daughter Victoria and her friend Kali

Stay tuned for updates......

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Woot! OH YEAH, I WAS FIRST THIS TIME!!!!!!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Woot! OH YEAH, I WAS FIRST THIS TIME!!!!!!!

I wonder why....could it be that a certain friend of yours sent you the link before anyone else? Huh? Maybe?

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Technicalities!

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Howdy all!!!! Welcome to my new Pre-Trip Report! I have a feeling this is going to be a rough and bumpy ride due to all the changes going on at Disney right now with the Magic Bands, Fast Pass Plus, etc. But, together we will roll with the punches and do our best to plan this mystical, magical trip! This trip started out as just a weekend jaunt to Orlando for Victoria and her friend Kali to see Playlist Live 2014 since they had such fun at the 2013 one.

We (my hubby Peter, myself and Victoria) were at Disney this past August and it was hot. It was so hot that we were usually back at the resort by 5pm as we were just so drained. The crowds were also heavier than expected and although it was a wonderful trip, it was just exhausting for us. Peter doesn’t ride the thrill rides so a lot of the time he sits and waits for Victoria and I. I think he goes because it makes me happy, but I think he’d rather be doing something else. So, due to these factors we weren’t planning another trip in August.

Now, Kali has never been to Disney and since we were already going to be in Orlando for Playlist, why don’t we just stay an extra week and go to Disney?! YAY!!! What an awesome idea! Peter won’t be able to come with us in 2014 due to his work (although this is still up in the air ---- details later) and since he really doesn’t enjoy Disney like Victoria and I do, this trip is going to work out perfectly! ALL GIRLS TRIP!!! I mean really, he didn’t want to go in 2014 and we will already be down there anyways….. I mean it just makes sense doesn’t it?! No additional airfare or travel expenses. Whoo Hoot!! Yep, I is a smart one, eh?

So let’s get on with the introductions, shall we?

Here’s me:

I’m Ann, a 46 year old wife and mother. I married Peter in 2010 and he’s taken to Victoria as though she was his own child, for which I will be eternally grateful! He hit the old 50 mark this year and keeps saying how much older he is than me. I love all things Disney and it is my goal to continue going once per year as long as my body and finances hold up. I work full time for State government and have been for over 13 years now. My job can be stressful at times, but nothing I haven’t been able to handle thus far. I’m a cancer survivor and a diabetic, so I may whine every once in a while about my health…..just bear with me. I am of French-Canadian decent.

And my angel-girl Victoria:

Yep, that’s her with the duck she caught at the Beach Club on our August 2013 trip. That little duckie just let her scoop it right up. I think it was love at first sight!!! She will be 16 on this trip. In fact, I’m planning to have a little Sweet 16 cake in her honor while we are at PlayList. She is hoping some of the YouTubers will stop by and have some cake! There’s a little lounge area where I plan to do this at. I hope it will all work out. We now have a Party City where we live, so there’s all kinds of Sweet 16 stuff there. I can’t wait!! Victoria hasn’t had it easy in her life thus far. She was born with infant torticollis and a tumor on her spinal cord. It’s stuff we’ve dealt with, but it hasn’t been easy. I also divorced her father when she was 5. She doesn’t see him much anymore….maybe on her birthday, but he really doesn’t take an interest in her. Thank God for Peter!! It’s been a rough 2 years for Victoria as she was cutting and was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. She is now on Prozac for this. She also has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which basically means she has more testosterone in her body than a girl should and doesn’t get periods regularly. She’s on medication for this as well. She does attend counseling once a week for her issues and seems to be doing well ---- no more cutting for a long time. Despite all this she’s a bright, wonderful young lady who is my life! She’s too much into her computer and boys, but she is 15. Ugh!

Then there’s Kali….

With one of her chickens, of course. She and Victoria have been besties since the 7th grade. She is a great kid and will still be 15 on our trip. She has an older sister and a younger brother. She spends a lot of weekends with us and she’s just like another child to me. She’s very funny, kind, and a great student. Kali, too, is into her computer and boys, although she has a boyfriend who seems like a good kid, too. They have this little friend group made up of 4 girls and 6 boys…..they do all kinds of stuff together and seem to be a good support system for each other. This is Kali’s FIRST TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD!!! I can’t wait to see Disney through a newbie’s eyes!

There’s the cast of characters for 2014!!! Hope you will all join in for the ride!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Technicalities!

Oh, I don't care about the technicalities as long as you are here!!

Following along!

Awesome!! Welcome aboard!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yay!!! I cannot wait to hear all about it, especially the Playlist Live part since we'll be going in 2015!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

MAGIC BANDS!!!



These are the colors weve chosen along with the names weve chosen to have printed inside. I was lucky enough to find a picture online where the colors were side by side. Now when we were there in August, Port Orleans was NOT included in the testing so I have no firsthand experience. In theory it sounds wonderful to have tickets, dining plan and resort keys all tied into the bands ---- it was the same way with the RFID cards. I never found it cumbersome to carry around the cards and I had a lanyard with my pins on it anyways so the little pouch was perfect for the cards. Im assuming the bands will work just as slick as the cards did. I really like the fact that they are waterproof so that you dont have to worry about bringing the keycard to the pool with you. Ive read on the boards that there has been some issues, but they have been cleared up pretty quickly for most.

Now, the other hot potato issue ---- FAST PASS +


This photo was swiped from the internet, so if this is you, please forgive my usage of your image.

Again, in theory this sounds like a wonderful idea ---- 3 guaranteed fast passes that you decide on prior to your trip. For a planner like me, thats a no problem, no brainer type thing. I already plan which day I will be in which park and then set my ADRs to mesh with the schedule. This will just be an extension of my planning. The only hard part I foresee is deciding on what time the fast passes should be set for, but again, knowing which park Ill be at on what day and knowing where and when the ADR is for on that day will make fitting in the fast pass scheduled time easy peasy. Thats my Pollyanna view on this system. Again, I do not have any firsthand knowledge of the program, but Im not stressing too much about it.

The part I am stressing about is going in the later part of March when the crowd calendars are predicting 9's all week. OMG!!! Im used to 5's, 6's, with an occasional 8 mixed in there for good measure. I honestly dont know how it will affect my touring style. I wouldnt have worried too much in the past as I would just have gotten as many legacy Fast Passes as I was allowed in one day. Now, I may only get to ride my favorite rides once or twice per visit. Hmmmm&I suppose thats not a bad problem to have --- Ill be in Disney!! Obviously Im going to try to get there as close to rope drop as I possibly can to hopefully get lots done in the first couple of hours. It will just be different and change is good for the soul, right? Am I convincing anyone yet? I just figure it is what it is and this is just something I will have to adjust to. Again, Im in Disney! You wanna know my picks? Do ya? Subject to change, of course



EPCOT
My first tier pick: SOARIN. Love, love, love this ride! I wish I could just stay on for 10 or so consecutive times! Peter even likes this one. I just love the motion, the wind, the smells. I love going over the ocean and pretending to kick the kayakers in the head! As far as Test Track goes, I am not going to waste a pick on that. I enjoyed it soooo much better in its former glory. I just dont like all the neon and design your own car thing. Big deal. Oh, I do like fooling around at the end of the ride in the play area (I dont know what you call it) but I wont be too sad to miss it.

My 2 second tier picks would be Mission Space and Spaceship Earth. Now I know I have NEVER EVER EVER needed a fast pass for SE, but just in case and there is not too much on the list that Ive ever needed a fast pass for. (Captain EO?? Really??) Im basing my second tier picks on things I absolutely dont want to miss and those would have to be it. Im still working out the times to schedule them for (I still have 120 days to go and I cant reserve them until 60 days out, so Im good for now). Im thinking mostly in the afternoon but before our ADRs at 5:30pm on both Epcot days.

Ah, my favorite park&&


HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
My first tier choice here is most definitely Rock n Rollercoaster! I CANNOT MISS THIS RIDE EVER!!! I am extremely fortunate that I do not like TSMM at all as the decision for top tier was an easy one. Ive never needed a fast pass for Fantasmic or Beauty & the Beast, so why would I need one now? I think its a matter of being there at least ½ hour before the show and youll be fine. At least thats the way its always been for me. Also, if I see its filling up sooner, than obviously I would go in sooner. I dont mind sitting down for ½ hour to 45 minutes --- a good rest for the feet!

My second tier picks are Tower of Terror (I still dont understand why this isnt in the top tier, but good for me!!) and Star Tours. The rest I can manage without fast passes. I just dont see this as being a huge issue. But, when Im there it just might be! Ill have to report on it after I get back.

There hasnt been any mention of Magic Kingdom tiers yet. There are so many headliners as far as Im concerned that I would have a very hard time picking just one. Its also unknown whether the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will be up and running by the end of March. Im sure that would be on the top tier! I would think all the mountains would be on the top. Who knows. Things seem to be changing daily with this roll out. I just read today that they are now using the bands to verify the EMH admittance. Dont get me wrong ---- I, too, would love to be able to have both legacy fast pass and fast pass plus, but that is not how this program is intended. Oh, I will bring old kttw cards to see if they work to pull legacy fast fasses, but I highly doubt by then the legacy machines will still be there. Its 4 months away and I would hope everything is all ironed out by then.

And since there wasnt many pictures in this post, here is a picture of the 2 new guinea pigs I adopted from the shelter on Saturday --- Squishey and Tickles.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

So do we all remember when Miley Cyrus looked like this...



Yeah, this is the Miley I love and remember. I loved her songs, her personality and the way she presented herself. Now it's:



What happened to her?? I'm glad she is famous and people are talking about her, but really? Hasn't she just turned to the dark side? I mean it's like a Disney fan going to Universal, isn't it? So, why am I bringing all this up? Well, Victoria noticed that Miley's Bangerz tour is coming in 2014 and I knew what was coming....Victoria is going to want to go to Boston to see her because that's as close as she'd get to Maine. Ugh! How was I possibly going to afford another trip in May? I was getting my speech ready as to why we weren't going to be able to go, etc.

Then I get a text asking when we were going to be in Orlando. Wouldn't you know that Miley is going to be in Orlando on March 24th which is the day we will be transferring from the Caribe to POP and other than dinner at 1900 Park Fare, we didn't have anything scheduled. That got me thinking, "Wow, this would only be the cost of a taxi and the actual concert tickets". If we were to go to the Boston show it would involve a hotel stay, driving down, meals, etc. If they go to the Orlando show, it is just the cost of the Miley tickets and a cab. Yep, this is a good plan! Then it was time to convince Peter and Kali's parents. Actually Kali's parents were easy. Peter, on the other hand, is being a little overprotective in this situation. He believes Orlando is the murder capital of the world and as long as we're in Disney we're safe. But if we go offsite, why anything can happen. He doesn't want the girls to go in a cab by themselves. Hey, they'll be 16 years old at the time and as long as they stick to an actual cab company, then they'll be fine. That's how I feel.

It was the Wednesday before tickets were due to go on sale when I get another text from Victoria. (How this kid is able to text me in school is beyond me. Apparently she goes in the bathroom and sneaks me messages) She states that there is a presale at 10 am and would I look into it for her. Um, Victoria, I'm at work......but do I do it, of course! I found out that the presale was for American Express cardholders only. I don't have an American Express, but my Mom does!! I called my Mom and asked her if she would be willing to have me put the tickets on her card as long as I paid her at the end of the week. She's my Mom and she's able to do so, so this was no problem. We now had 2 tickets for Miley Cyrus on March 24th. Everyone is HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY......well, except for Peter. He's still not comfortable with the whole idea. I can tell you, though, I sure do have 2 excited teens hanging around now!! Whoo Hoot!!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Whoohooo! Glad you got the tickets! I'm sure the girls will be fine. Speaking of that, Rey wants me to buy a parent ticket at playlist live and go with the girls??? WHA??? uh, no. We have tried to tell him it's just a bunch of girls in a room, but he's being difficult. Next up is showing him photos of all the dangerous fangirls, so he realizes that there's nothing to worry about.

I'm sure he'll get over it in over a year. I think the mistake was saying it was a "convention" and he envisioned something like Comicon.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Whoohooo! Glad you got the tickets! I'm sure the girls will be fine. Speaking of that, Rey wants me to buy a parent ticket at playlist live and go with the girls??? WHA??? uh, no. We have tried to tell him it's just a bunch of girls in a room, but he's being difficult. Next up is showing him photos of all the dangerous fangirls, so he realizes that there's nothing to worry about.

I'm sure he'll get over it in over a year. I think the mistake was saying it was a "convention" and he envisioned something like Comicon.

I didn't get the Parent's pass last year. I think I would have been bored and there is really no need to. They are in the convention center and I feel they are perfectly safe. There's plenty of security around. Rey will just have to relax a little!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

So here we are on Day 106! Theres nothing more I can really do until Day 60 when I can select my Fast Passes. In some ways its going by super fast and in other ways its just dragging and I want to be there now! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was spent at my Aunt Bea's as it is every year. The food was amazing, as always. Now the good ole Christmas rush is on. I have most of my shopping done. I think it will be gift cards for the rest. I will not be hosting Peter's side of the family for Christmas this year as there's quite a bit of uncertainty with that side. His brother in law Scott had a heart attack about 3 weeks ago and the week after that Peter's dad had a heart attack. Scott is fine. Hes back to work already. Dad had to have a triple bypass on Monday. He's down in Portland at Maine Medical Center. We did go down on Monday when he was in recovery in the CICU. Ugh I couldnt bear to look at him with all those tubes so I turned around and headed to the waiting room. I'm pretty much the last person you would want around in a situation like this. Theres just been too many hospitals in Victoria and my past and I just cant handle it. I am wonderful in the waiting room, though! I'm very thankful that hes recovering and will be ok, but it also makes me sad that my dad didnt survive his heart attack 11 years ago. I just have to accept that it was God's will. Peter hasnt received an update on his condition yet today. I know the plan was to have him walking a little bit, so I hope that happens. He'll have to go into a nursing home for rehabilitation after his hospital release, but that hopefully won't be too long. Once I know whether he'll be in the nursing home for Christmas, I will bring him a little Christmas tree for his room. I think he'd like that.

Peter doesnt feel much like Christmas this year. I don't even know if well put up a tree. We are just so emotionally and physically beat right now so it's very hard to get into the spirit. We lost another 2 chickens to the cold like sickness that chickens are very susceptible to. It doesn't bother me too much but those are Peters friends and he really loves those little birds. Baby, the rooster, was Victoria's and she was heartbroken. Poor thing! Peter still has yet to clean up the yard in Starks and now there is snow on the ground so I dont forsee this happening until Spring now. It really sucks as you guys know I wanted the property sold by winter. Too late now. My big concern is the longer it stays empty the more damaged it will become by not being lived in. There will be no one there to remove the snow off the roof and Peter has already said that he won't be plowing out the driveway this year. Ugh! So, I dont know what will happen. Hey, I haven't shown you guys the property and since there's no pics in this update, I'll add some.

The view from the mobile home


The main house


Another view of the main house


Like I've said, they are nothing special, but definitely livable and the 11 acres that come with them will be awesome for someone to hunt on or just plain enjoy. We are done cleaning out the insides of both houses. I swear we must have donated 4 pick up trucks to Goodwill. It's unbelievable! And we are leaving all the furniture, tvs, dvd players, microwaves, etc. Someone could really move right in, clean everything, and be perfectly set. I am very thankful that I dont have to spend every Saturday up there cleaning anymore. There's a blessing right there!

GREAT NEWS!!!! Did you all know I love Southwest Airlines? Yep! They lowered the flights that I originally booked for $211 per person down to $123 per person. Granted, I dont get the money back on the one ticket I paid cash for, but it's in my account as a credit for a future flight. The other 2 flights I had booked with points, so I do get those points back! Whoo Hoot!!! I watch the flights everyday to make sure I'm getting the best price! It's paid to be watching, thats for sure.





I am so excited to get back to Orlando!! We haven't had that much snow yet, but I'm already tired of it. I've seen on the news that the Midwest is getting slammed with bad weather. I feel for you guys, I really do. Today it will be in the 40s and sunny, which will hopefully melt some of the existing snow. The roads are clear, it's just my driveway thats an icy mess!! Today's weather should help it.

Hope everyone is doing well!!!!

 

[Tinker326]

Yhea, finally found time to hop over!!! Your trip looks great- I guess I didn't realize it got extended and that's AWESOME for you!!! I have been to Disney during Spring Break & I think you will find, while crowded, it's doable. The hardest park, by far, to deal with those crowds is MK. The other ones were OK.

And the weather is PERFECT in late March. 80 degrees, sunny usually and very little humidity. I'd venture to say March might be my favorite month of weather in Orlando!

I'll keep my fingers crossed that Starks property gets sold!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I'm so glad to see that you guys are getting another trip! And girls trips are so much fun!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Everyone! We are at 97 days and counting today. Finally in the double digits! Yahoo!! One of the first things I wanted to do was to show you the 2006 photo of Victoria at Pin Traders in DTD and of this year's photo..



My oh my has she grown right up! Im so glad I came across that photo for you guys to see. Hopefully I'll do another one this time around, too.

Is everyone as sick of the cold and ice/snow as I am? We are supposed to have a storm Saturday night into Sunday which promises to bring 7 to 12 inches of lovely snow. Ugh! Its better than plain ice, but still. We have a party at my Mom's on Saturday evening with all her side of the family, so that should be fun. Im just not into Christmas this year. Would you believe I didnt even put up a tree? Ok, I did buy a 2 foot table tree and put lights in it, but that's about it. I did put up my 2 lighted Disney figures in the windows, though. Gotta put those out no matter how I am feeling! Theres been too many negative things that have happened this year that I just need to relax and decorating my house is NOT relaxing to me. There's not going to be any gifts under the tree as Victoria's gift is my taking her to Playlist Live and her Miley Cyrus concert tickets. That's plenty! I did buy Peter and egg incubator from Amazon but do you know what they did? They just slapped a shipping label on the product box and shipped it like that. Of course Peter had to be home when they delivered it, so he knows, so why wrap it? I was soooo upset! It will be fun to create our own little chickies, though. I have no idea what the two of them will get me. I don't really want anything other than money to help pay off this trip. Im getting down to the wire for paying it off and I still have a pretty large balance. The budget was on track until the bill for Victoria's high school ring came in -- $252!!!! Ugh! There's one Disney payment right there, so Im going to have to scramble to make the last 4 payments. Hopefully I'll be getting money for Christmas that will help.

Lookie here, lookie here what I got in the mail yesterday:



It's the new flash drive Disney sends out! I havent been able to watch it yet, but apparently from what I've read its a guide to Disney's My Magic Plus. It should be interesting. I'm wondering if you can add data to it. Probably not. It's so cute!

In other news, we might as well start to say goodbye to these little beauties:



Heres the latest news on the boards...

DISNEY IS REMOVING THE FAST PASS MACHINES AT ANIMAL KINGDOM THIS WEEK!!!

So, we were told it was coming, but I honestly didnt think it would happen this soon. I was also hoping to use old tickets to pull legacy fast passes myself in March. No flaming me, please. I will make due with the three I will book. I also read that the booking window is going to go from 60 days down to 30 days. Some seem to feel that this basically locks you into the new system as its less than the 45 day cancellation without any penalties point. I dont know --- I dont think anyone who is not a Disney executive really knows. I just hope the availability on my day 30 is good. I don't really want too much, and if it comes right down to it, I'll ride Soarin at any time!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

and as soon as you post, the "latest news" changes! Did you read that they are taking away the legacy paper FP machines at AK in just 5 days? ALL offsite guests will have to go to a kiosk when they arrive and make their FP+ selections on that day. WOWZERS. What a mess that will be!

I'm watching from afar and basically just planning our trip around having only the 3 FP+ a day. First off, we are at Pop for 4 nights so we most certainly won't get to pull FP- and then we move to BCV for 2 nights, but I'm betting that by February, none of the resorts will give out cards to pull FP- anymore and they may have even taken them all out of the parks by then, who knows?

I do know that I won't ever stay offsite again, I don't think...but also that our trips will be limited to non-existent after this one, I'm afraid. We'll see how I feel after Feb. I LOVE DISNEY, but it seems that the bigwigs upstairs don't really care much about the guest experience anymore and that may cause me to back away for a bit.

OMG, look at little Vic!

Sorry you aren't in the Christmas spirit. I'm a little less than some years but not totally in bah-humbug territory just yet! I'm stressing about my last payment, I need it by Jan 7th!

Oh and that storm you are getting? We're getting it RIGHT.NOW. Lots of freezing rain, supposed to turn to snow tonight when the temps drop. I'm done with winter and it's not even officially winter yet????

 

[Victoriasmom98]

So, here I am excited about the new VISA discounts that are out and the fact that they cover our dates. I was hoping for Free Dining, but I believe those will be few and far between now unless we go in September. No, Im not a Disney Visa cardholder, but the release to the General Public on January 6th. As you know, I currently have a 15% off rack rate for POP for 5 nights. The new discount is for 20% off rack rate for POP so based on 5 nights, that discount would save me $40.80 for that time frame. Meh, thats ok. $40 is $40.

Now the other discount is buy 4day park passes and get 1day free. Oh baby!!! Me likey that one! The 4day park passes are already in my package. BUT we are switching hotels on March 24th from Caribe to POP. This would be the only park day I could add on to as we fly out on the 29th, but Im thinking it is going to take a couple of hours at least to switch resorts and get all set up in POP. This would mean not getting to any park until probably noon or a bit later. We have dining ressies at 1900 Park Fare for 5pm and from there the girls are going to the Miley Cyrus concert. So, we are talking maybe 3 hours in the park prior to dinner and then I would go back to the park while the girls went to the concert. Wow..to be in a park by myself doing what I wanted sounds like heaven!! Im thinking it should be HS. This is the best deal, I know, but that means paying rack rate which would add $122 to my cost and will that really be worth the price of 3 hours in a park? So, Im breaking this down ---- its basically $69.75 for one day (using the $279 for the 4 day ticket). Break the $69.75 down into 8 hours = $8.72 per hour times 3 hours = $26.16 x 3 people = $78.48 but I would do probably another 2 to 3 hours in the park. So, Ill add the 3 hours @ $8.72 to the $78.48 which brings it to $104.64.

It all comes down to I would be paying $122 for $104.64 worth of park play. Wow..why the heck did I just do all that out?! I mean its extra time in the parks for crying out loud!!! But that time would be LIMITED. Oh man..I think I need to stop thinking about it for a bit!!! Im sure my guru (Hi Karen ) will weigh in on this Karen?

Now, the fly in the ointment ---- is it the free day on top of the Room Only?? Hmmmm?

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Uh....Disneymath makes me feel dumb.

BUT, I will tell you what I always say...MORE DISNEY is always the best kinda Disney! Seriously though, what's a little more when you're already going to be there? It's more park time!

Now we can see why I'm perpetually broke.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

It seems as though people on other threads are saying it's a RO discount and if you purchase 4 days, you get one free......I'm trying to confirm that now, by gosh!!!

And you are anything but dumb......YOU ARE MY GURU!!!

As for the discount, there still seems to be some confusion, but it seems like most people agree that the free one day ticket is IN ADDITION TO the RO discount. Boy, I wish I had a Disney Visa to be able to call today. Grrrrrrr.