PTR-2015 Year of a million trips….oh maybe only five. UPD 9/22 lnk to video

[KatMark]

Love your solo time at Epcot and the Studios. I never knew they had special fireworks for Star Wars...learn something new every day.

I really dislike Florida pizza in general (it's the water and their ovens), but I can eat a Disney pizza if I am hungry enough.

Do I know your dates for next month? Any chance we are overlapping (I'm there the 10-18th).

I am very envious that you are staying at the Poly. We've not stayed there since 1990. I can't wait to see your pictures from that. Your plans sound great.

 

[SarahDisney]

Our first 3 nights will be in a studio room here! Beyond excited since the Poly has been my dream resort for years.

You have to take lots of pictures and post them all! I'll probably never stay at Poly (especially not at the DVC rooms ... at least not in the near future), so I have to see it through the pictures of others!

btw…if you don’t know this we aren’t rope droppers and don’t want to be.

I knew I liked you!

I love this picture. You can tell instantly that it's Olivia and Lucy, but they look so much younger (of course, that's because they are younger, but still...)!

Plans sound great! I know you guys are big on going with the flow and not overplanning, and it looks like you're really in a great position to do that.

 

[stacy~**]

Love your solo time at Epcot and the Studios. I never knew they had special fireworks for Star Wars...learn something new every day.

Yes! They are fantastic too!

I really dislike Florida pizza in general (it's the water and their ovens), but I can eat a Disney pizza if I am hungry enough.

Yeah, I see what you are saying. I think it just has a distinct Disney feel to it. Like I said I wouldn't bother with this pizza at home but somehow (spoiler) I can eat it like 3 times on a 5 day trip. Haha!

Do I know your dates for next month? Any chance we are overlapping (I'm there the 10-18th).

Awe, I got excited for a second. You always leave right before I get there! We arrive on the 23rd.

I am very envious that you are staying at the Poly. We've not stayed there since 1990. I can't wait to see your pictures from that. Your plans sound great.

I am sooo excited. The Poly is the last of the resorts that I REALLY want to stay at that I haven't yet and it will be our first time at a monorail resort so the anticipation is great! I will take loads of pictures. Promise!

You have to take lots of pictures and post them all! I'll probably never stay at Poly (especially not at the DVC rooms ... at least not in the near future), so I have to see it through the pictures of others!

Very excited about the Poly! It was a splurge even with points (just lucky our contract came with excess points or this wouldn't be happening) so hopefully it's amazing but we don't fall in love with it so much that I will be sad when we can't return. I promise to take tons of pictures.

I knew I liked you!

I think this is in reference to my non-rope dropping nature. I'm glad you do.

I love this picture. You can tell instantly that it's Olivia and Lucy, but they look so much younger (of course, that's because they are younger, but still...)!

I know! I couldn't believe that it was "only" 3 years ago.
Plans sound great! I know you guys are big on going with the flow and not overplanning, and it looks like you're really in a great position to do that.

Thanks! I'm really getting excited. Not that I wasn't before but with the trip to take Olivia down first that just kinda overshadowed this. The early days are some of our most planned out too. But really once we know Olivia's work schedule things will likely change again or even during the trip. The joy of a longer trip is there is time to get it all in even if you have to change things around.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I am behind so these comments are going to seem old and random hah.

Oh the biegnets. Even more trouble if your a messy eater to start. We ate them at DL once on a bench near the train station and when we stood up to leave it looked like someone had murdered Frosty the Snowman.

I always have the 'why oh why do I eat healthy at home and my poor stomach is so small so I can't shove 20 plates of this Disney food in my face' syndrome as well.

That was very weird of the woman in line. I'd have been half tempted to be like 'wait, what? this is a line? for what?' and then just walked out.

SWW fireworks are the best (next time, there is always a next time, try watching them from the stairs near the big dinosaur. Its usually a very uncrowded area and a nice view and you get to sit.)

But then again, Big Hero 6 on the resort lawn also sounds very appealing...

We were all pretty sad that we missed Flower and Garden festival by a few days, but oh well, there is always Food and Wine!

I can't find the dropping over dead smiley so just imagine I used it...your staying at the Poly?! OMG so jealous! We stayed there one night. Only reason we could afford it is because we split the cost with Brian's sister and mom, and the room was heavily discounted because of the construction and the pool being closed, and we paid for it on Orbitz using a 20% off code and I had $100 in Orbitz bucks. And we could still only afford the one night. We will never be able to stay there again and I'm so in love with Trader Sam's that we tried out last trip. You have got to go live at Trader Sam's!!!! Take so many pics for me!!! Arg so jealous!

As for the noodles, I doubt it. We ate at the counter service Captain Cook's I believe because I'd read that they have the Ohana noodles. They did have a noodle dish on the menu and I did order it. And it definitely was not the Ohana noodles. I wonder if the room service is different? You might call and ask, anyway.

What are your dates for this Poly trip? I think I finally broke Brian's spirit (hahaha) and he kind of agreed to another quick weekend trip in early September, but only because the hotels are crazy cheap and our trip a few weeks ago was so crazy crowded he wanted low crowds.

 

[ursalita]

Hi! Followed you over from my DR. I'm enjoying your PTR/TR. Congrats on everything - DVC, DCP, etc. How lucky you are going to Disney so many times! You're giving me ideas of things I missed that I want to make sure we do next time. Can't wait to hear how you like the Poly, it's my dream resort too!

 

[disneyguy4life]

I am all caught up and can't wait to read more.

 

[stacy~**]

I am behind so these comments are going to seem old and random hah.

Just happy to have you! And your comments weren't old at all.

Oh the biegnets. Even more trouble if your a messy eater to start. We ate them at DL once on a bench near the train station and when we stood up to leave it looked like someone had murdered Frosty the Snowman.

"murdered Frosty the Snowman" LOL. Yes, Olivia and I took great care to be neat but it was comical to see others who were not.

I always have the 'why oh why do I eat healthy at home and my poor stomach is so small so I can't shove 20 plates of this Disney food in my face' syndrome as well.

Exactly. We eat good so we can pig out at Disney but they we aren't properly trained in "pigging out". Ugh. You can't win.

That was very weird of the woman in line. I'd have been half tempted to be like 'wait, what? this is a line? for what?' and then just walked out.

Yeah, she mostly said it to Olivia...I just caught the end and then got the low down from her when we left but it was weird.

SWW fireworks are the best (next time, there is always a next time, try watching them from the stairs near the big dinosaur. Its usually a very uncrowded area and a nice view and you get to sit.)

Next time I am doing the VIP package. Already thinking first weekend in June 2016. Hoping to use some DVC points for Boardwalk.

But then again, Big Hero 6 on the resort lawn also sounds very appealing...

We were all pretty sad that we missed Flower and Garden festival by a few days, but oh well, there is always Food and Wine!

I can't find the dropping over dead smiley so just imagine I used it...your staying at the Poly?! OMG so jealous! We stayed there one night. Only reason we could afford it is because we split the cost with Brian's sister and mom, and the room was heavily discounted because of the construction and the pool being closed, and we paid for it on Orbitz using a 20% off code and I had $100 in Orbitz bucks. And we could still only afford the one night. We will never be able to stay there again and I'm so in love with Trader Sam's that we tried out last trip. You have got to go live at Trader Sam's!!!! Take so many pics for me!!! Arg so jealous!

I pinch myself daily! And it really is a lot of points but I'm just not gonna think about that. Points are like play money, right? I just hope we aren't too disappointed when we move to AKL (which we love). Yes, we will be sure to check out Trader Sam's (although we aren't really drinkers).

As for the noodles, I doubt it. We ate at the counter service Captain Cook's I believe because I'd read that they have the Ohana noodles. They did have a noodle dish on the menu and I did order it. And it definitely was not the Ohana noodles. I wonder if the room service is different? You might call and ask, anyway.

Don't burst my bubble like this! Haha. I love those dumb noodles. I'll see what I can find out.

What are your dates for this Poly trip? I think I finally broke Brian's spirit (hahaha) and he kind of agreed to another quick weekend trip in early September, but only because the hotels are crazy cheap and our trip a few weeks ago was so crazy crowded he wanted low crowds.

This is our previously planned normal summer vacation trip. Dates are July 23-Aug 1. But hoping for a quick trip in September or October but that won't be determined until after this trip.

Hi! Followed you over from my DR. I'm enjoying your PTR/TR. Congrats on everything - DVC, DCP, etc. How lucky you are going to Disney so many times! You're giving me ideas of things I missed that I want to make sure we do next time. Can't wait to hear how you like the Poly, it's my dream resort too!

Thanks for stopping over! And on the congrats! It's been quite a Disney year for us.....if only I could convince Aaron to move there. Just like Ariel...always wanting more.

I think the Poly is everyone's dream resort!

I am all caught up and can't wait to read more.

Thanks! Hoping to have a post from my May trip up later tonight!!

 

[stacy~**]

SOOOOO back to my mini-TR (is this getting confusing? I thought I didn't have enough for a full TR but I guess I did but it's kind of too late now)

Sunday, May 17-Day 4

The plan for today was I was going to Hollywood Studios to take in some Star Wars weekend activities and Olivia had her own errands to take care of and we would hopefully meet up later.

I was super excited for SWW. Truth be told we watched the movies this winter for the first time ever. We enjoyed them a lot (I need to watch them again to really understand the smaller elements/characters) but what I was excited about was the opportunity to do all new things at Disney. So I want to be clear that I am not a super fan...more like a rookie fan!

So DHS was scheduled for an 8am opening. With all my Kenny the Pirate research completed I knew I was supposed to be at the park around 7:30. Sooooo guess who was at the bus stop at 8:15 taking selfies. Oops, that was the best I could do!

Once I arrived I went straight to the Chewbacca meet. The line was about an hour long but worth it. Although backing up just a bit I have to tell you that these girls (early 20s) in line in front of me were feeding a squirrel. Once they ran out of food it started begging to all of us for food. I am pretty much scared of all wildlife and was trying not to freak out. THEN the squirrel was on a ledge and JUMPED onto the girl that had been feeding him. He landed on her arm and gripped it for a second before falling. I was not ready for this much excitement. Don't feed wild animals!

Soooo back to Chewie. I have to say this meet was one of my favorites in such a long time.

Laughing over the CM’s picture of my Ewok hug. Do you see my arm?

So we had an Ewok hug, Chewie hug and posed picture (what am I doing with my fist. I hate that this picture isn’t that great).

But then after all that, as I was walking away Chewie grabbed me in for another big hug. It just felt super genuine and somehow protective. I think this trip was soooo full of emotion: the fear of drive there, the impending leaving behind of Olivia and in that brief moment that hug from Chewie just made me feel better. I don’t know if that makes any sense but it made for a memorable meet for me!

After that I knew I needed to get in Darth Vadar's line. Funny that Darth passed me on his way to his line.

And then again a few times during my hour long wait.

I have to say for as awesome as Chewie was my Darth meet was kinda awkward. Not that I was expecting a loving embrace. I did have some pixie dust on my side. It started lightly sprinkling when I was a few people out to meet him and then a few people after me the skys opened up and a down pour followed. I am so lucky I got my meet in.

Thankfully when the downpour started I was right by One Man’s Dream. More pixie dust.

Love these...

The rain had passed once I was finished so I kind of just walked around deciding if there were any other characters I wanted to wait out the lines for. This was the point where I was missing the rest of the family. I did want to have more character meets but I missed them and was tired of being in line alone. Before I could make a decision the rain returned and I just so happened to be near the Studio Catering Company and they had a veggie wrap so it was a no brainer. It was almost 12 and I hadn’t had breakfast so I was more than ready for lunch. I don’t think we have ever eaten here so I gave it a try.

Veggie wrap:

This wasn’t too bad and my only complaint was that because I am sure it was premade the underside of the toritilla was soggy. Had it been freshly made I would have enjoyed it more. I always struggle with DHS eats so while this probably wouldn't see a return visit at MK or EP for DHS it wasn't half bad.

After lunch I went to the two SW shopping areas. (Darth’s Mall). Both had a short wait outside the store to get in. I ended up getting myself a SWW mug, this art print (I have two other Disney ones already so I knew before I even got there I was getting this)

and the most ADORABLE Ewok shirt for Lucy. Here is a picture NOT AT DISNEY but at our local AAA baseball teams Star Wars night . NOTE: these SW characters were not the real ones like at Disney but acceptable substitutes.

I also REALLY thought about this but in the end decided I don't LOVE SW enough to rock a Dooney purse.

After I was done there some Storm Troopers were walking around.

And I had to follow him.

I made a brief stay in my tower (TOT). Always a favorite of mine.


At 2:45 I got in line for Stars of the Saga talk show with a snack. I was in line in front of a family that was fun to talk to. They were locals and when I said I was from Ohio the two boys (maybe 8 and 10) were SOOO excited to talk to me about Cedar Point. Don't get me wrong I love Cedar Point but they live in Orlando. I guess we all want what we don't have.

The Storm Trooper preshow was great as well as the guests and I was very glad I went to it.

Then I had the dilemma. The Obi-Wan and beyond show wasn’t until 7 (and it was just after 4). I had heard so many great things about that show BUT I was ready to end this solo day and hang out with Olivia so I ended up saying goodbye to DHS for the day and heading out. I had a great time at SWW and am looking forward to another trip next year!!

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm glad you enjoyed your meet with Chewbacca. It's always nice when a character does something sweet that totally changes your mood!

I love Lucy's Ewok shirt! Is that the Colombus Clippers? I used to always want to go out there because they used to be a Yankees farm team, but it was too far to travel just for a baseball game ... and they're not a Yankees team anymore anyway (not that their new AAA is that close to me ... but it's a lot closer than Columbus)

Once upon a time (in a galaxy far far away) I went to school with a girl from Ohio who had also lived in Orlando at one point ...she loved Cedar Point, but also loved Disney. I think she got to go to Cedar Poiint more often, so she liked it more just because she was there more. I know she was hoping to go back to Disney at some point in time, but I don't know if it ever happened because I lost touch with her.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed SWW!

 

[KatMark]

What a fun update, Stacy. I love your meet with Chewbacca and glad his unexpected last hug made you feel better.

What's with feeding the wildlife, people? There are signs that say DO NOT FEED. That girl is lucky she was not bitten.

Too funny that Darth passed you several times while you waited to see him.

We've not been to Cedar Point in probably 20 years. We liked it, but it's not Disney.

I'm glad you enjoyed the show; this is something my husband would so much enjoy but will never see with baseball until we move to FL.

 

[stacy~**]

I'm glad you enjoyed your meet with Chewbacca. It's always nice when a character does something sweet that totally changes your mood!

Every trip seems to have that one special meet that sticks out and Chewbacca definitely was it on this trip.

I love Lucy's Ewok shirt! Is that the Colombus Clippers? I used to always want to go out there because they used to be a Yankees farm team, but it was too far to travel just for a baseball game ... and they're not a Yankees team anymore anyway (not that their new AAA is that close to me ... but it's a lot closer than Columbus)

Thanks! Yes it is a Clippers game. Yeah I always thought it was kinda cool that we were a Yankees team but it makes better sense to be an Indians team. We don't really follow them but try to go to a few games a year.

I used to love baseball (I was actually a HUGE NY Mets fan from the late 80s through the mid 90s...have we talked about this?). BUT Olivia played travel softball for about 10 years and I think that kind of burnt me out on the sport completely.

Once upon a time (in a galaxy far far away) I went to school with a girl from Ohio who had also lived in Orlando at one point ...she loved Cedar Point, but also loved Disney. I think she got to go to Cedar Poiint more often, so she liked it more just because she was there more. I know she was hoping to go back to Disney at some point in time, but I don't know if it ever happened because I lost touch with her.

I have a lot of love for Cedar Point. As a child my family didn't vacation but we always took a day trip to Cedar Point so it was a big deal for us. I'm sure it has something to do with my Disney love. Did you know my half next weekend is there so maybe I will do another mini-TR about it. This report is going to end up being less PTR and more mini-TR's.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed SWW!

I did and I really hope we can all go next year together!!

What a fun update, Stacy. I love your meet with Chewbacca and glad his unexpected last hug made you feel better.
Thanks! It was a really fun meet and he now holds a special place in my heart.

What's with feeding the wildlife, people? There are signs that say DO NOT FEED. That girl is lucky she was not bitten.

Yeah and people were yelling at her to stop but she was clearing just pretending not to hear.

Too funny that Darth passed you several times while you waited to see him.

I kept trying to get a good passing by selfie with him but I am not that selfie coordinated. Haha!

We've not been to Cedar Point in probably 20 years. We liked it, but it's not Disney.

Yes, its definitely not Disney but since it's just a few hours from home it can be a fun day in a pinch. Your in IL, right? So I bit farther for you. I'm actually running a half marathon there next weekend (my first...and hopefully my time submittal for the Disney half marathon in January). You might see a super mini-TR here.

I'm glad you enjoyed the show; this is something my husband would so much enjoy but will never see with baseball until we move to FL.

I was very glad to get a taste of SWW but nice that I still have things to explore for next time (hopefully next year).

 

[SarahDisney]

How has it never come up that you were a Mets fan?? I was a Mets fan until I was like 8-9, then I switched to Yankees ... I'm not really sure why. My mom's still a big Mets fan.
We like to go to 3-4 minor league games each summer ... we have a lot of teams nearby that we go to (we also try to go to a Yankees game every year and sometimes also a Mets game, depending on when they're giving out bobbleheads).

Definitely write a mini-TR about your half! I knew you had a half coming up, but I didn't remember that it was at Cedar Point - that sounds like it could be a lot of fun (but not as fun as your half at Disney will be). I don't think anyone minds a lot of mini-TRs on the PTR ... it's a nice change of pace from planning!

 

[stacy~**]

How has it never come up that you were a Mets fan?? I was a Mets fan until I was like 8-9, then I switched to Yankees ... I'm not really sure why. My mom's still a big Mets fan.
We like to go to 3-4 minor league games each summer ... we have a lot of teams nearby that we go to (we also try to go to a Yankees game every year and sometimes also a Mets game, depending on when they're giving out bobbleheads).

Definitely write a mini-TR about your half! I knew you had a half coming up, but I didn't remember that it was at Cedar Point - that sounds like it could be a lot of fun (but not as fun as your half at Disney will be). I don't think anyone minds a lot of mini-TRs on the PTR ... it's a nice change of pace from planning!

Haha! I don't know since we have a slight hockey connection, it only makes sense that we would have a baseball connection too. I have to ask though, I thought NY'ers had to choose between the Yankees or the Mets and you couldn't like both.

So in order to see Mets games I would travel to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and stay at the same hotels as the team and met tons of players that way. Probably from 88-92. You were just a baby then. In light of this conversation I had to pull out my two favorites (excuse the picture of a picture)....Darryl Strawberry

And Dwight Gooden:

Thanks! I'll see how it goes but I will actually be up there for a few days and was hoping to dust off my super old (but still good, I think) DSLR and see how I like having it at a park. I haven't taken it to Disney in a really long time but have been thinking I might want to (the whole camera drama...haha) and thought this might be a good trial.

 

[SarahDisney]

I have to ask though, I thought NY'ers had to choose between the Yankees or the Mets and you couldn't like both.

Generally, yes, you have to choose one of the two, but ... I'm a bit of a sports rebel, so I like both. Most people think I'm nuts. I say it's okay because I come from a mixed family (my mom's a lifelong Mets fan from Brooklyn and my dad is a big Yankees fan). As a kid I went to a lot of Mets games with school and/or camp because they were cheaper. My first Yankees game was when I was 7 or 8 (my grandfather took us kids & my dad - it was cap day and I had that hat until I was 18). That's when I started to switch over!

I love the pictures! I always think of Daryl Strawberry as a Yankee, because I remember him more as a Yankees, but I also remember him a little as a Met. And Doc Gooden! Those are definitely awesome players to meet.

I kinda see the appeal of having a DSLR at Disney ... you can get some really great pictures ... but I much prefer something I can stick in my pocket! I'm interested to hear how it works out for you, though - I think this will be a good "test run" for the DSLR!

 

[StephanieE]

Just found your report but I'm subscribed and all caught up!

We did room service at the Poly and they actually have the entire Ohana dinner available. My husband and I shared it one night and it was plenty of food for 2! We weren't starving so not sure if that would always be true.

It was well put together and came with everything - even the juice! We don't eat pork/red meat so they subbed it with chicken for us. I bet you could get more noodles/veggies instead.

We were there for SWW too and loved it! Glad that you had fun!

 

[stacy~**]

Generally, yes, you have to choose one of the two, but ... I'm a bit of a sports rebel, so I like both. Most people think I'm nuts. I say it's okay because I come from a mixed family (my mom's a lifelong Mets fan from Brooklyn and my dad is a big Yankees fan). As a kid I went to a lot of Mets games with school and/or camp because they were cheaper. My first Yankees game was when I was 7 or 8 (my grandfather took us kids & my dad - it was cap day and I had that hat until I was 18). That's when I started to switch over!

I love the pictures! I always think of Daryl Strawberry as a Yankee, because I remember him more as a Yankees, but I also remember him a little as a Met. And Doc Gooden! Those are definitely awesome players to meet.

I kinda see the appeal of having a DSLR at Disney ... you can get some really great pictures ... but I much prefer something I can stick in my pocket! I'm interested to hear how it works out for you, though - I think this will be a good "test run" for the DSLR!

Sarah the NY sports rebel. I like it but I can see why you became that way. I've never been to NYC and really, really need to someday. A baseball game in NYC would be like a childhood dream come true. If I wasn't so obsessed with going to Disney all the time....

Yeah...I guess both Darryl and Dwight were Yankees, too, huh. I kinda forget about that.

The size of the DSLR is definitely why I stopped bringing it but curious if I might be able to make it work again....even if I leave it in the room some days. I have it charging now and am going to do some test pictures between that, my point and shoot and my iPhone.

Just found your report but I'm subscribed and all caught up!

We did room service at the Poly and they actually have the entire Ohana dinner available. My husband and I shared it one night and it was plenty of food for 2! We weren't starving so not sure if that would always be true.

It was well put together and came with everything - even the juice! We don't eat pork/red meat so they subbed it with chicken for us. I bet you could get more noodles/veggies instead.

We were there for SWW too and loved it! Glad that you had fun!

Thanks for reading and saying hello! I feel like this PTR has gotten a bit out of control in terms of flow so hopefully it wasn't too bad to follow in one sitting.

I saw that about the Ohana room service meal. Very interesting. I am keeping that in mind. I really like Ohana but we had a less than fantastic experience there last May (terrible service) and I know we need a break from it so I was hoping to at least get my noodle fix.....the in room meal could be a good alternative.

Were you just there? Was it your first time for SWW?

 

[SarahDisney]

Sarah the NY sports rebel. I like it but I can see why you became that way. I've never been to NYC and really, really need to someday. A baseball game in NYC would be like a childhood dream come true. If I wasn't so obsessed with going to Disney all the time....

Yes, you really need to get to NYC!
It's funny, whenever someone mentions to me that they've never been to NYC, I always say they have to come to NY ... but I've never really traveled much (other than Disney). I've been to LA once, San Francisco once, Baltimore/DC a few times because I have family down there, but other than that ... nothing. I really would love to travel more, but ... DISNEY!!

 

[KatMark]

Both of my boys have gone to a New York Yankees game (in fact, they were there for Derek Jeter's second to last home game...they made the trip just to see him). We here in Chicago hate the Mets because they ruined our last legitimate run at being in the World Series. And here in Chicago...it's either Sox or Cubs...very rare does anyone like both.

 

[stacy~**]

So my plan was to post another update on my May trip before sharing more about my July plans. And it still is. Mostly. But something happened this weekend that I just wanted to share.

Friday I called to schedule my dogs kenneling appointment. We leave Thursday, July 23 and will be coming home late Saturday, August 1. So I went to schedule pick up for Sunday. Welllll I guess they don't have pick ups on Sundays at all so the ONLY logical thing to do if I have to pay for kenneling until Monday is change our trip to come home late Sunday night!! Right? (or come home a day earlier but I didn't consider that).

We usually avoid traveling on Sunday since those fares seem to get expensive quickly but thanks to Southwest and their great fare sale last week (and their no fee change policy) I was able to get the same flight home on Sunday that I had on Saturday at the SAME COST! I couldn't believe it and it seemed like a definite sign.

So we changed our air and I am still working out a resort for that night. I have a few options between points and paying cash and I need a few days to work it out but I can't believe we added a day! It will be 10 nights, 11 days. Our longest trip ever! woohoo!

And just to add some pictures. Here is who I have to thank for my extra day. I am sure they are thrilled about it.

Goldie

Jessie:

 

[KatMark]

I can't believe I'm missing you AGAIN by just five days.

Cute puppies.