PTR for the planning obsessed....Updated 11/5 We're home now.

[Lady Lallie]

I so want a Mr. Potato Head.

I sadly did almost nothing for Disney today. I folded the socks I bought at Walmart last night for the trip. Oh...and I cut the LGMH's out from the home depot paint chip but that is as far as I got.

 

[Charleston Princess]

POFQ is pretty...I wish I had taken more time to walk around it.
I wonder if you are see a DVC presentation when you go on your October trip, either to Orlando or Hilton Head???

I feel like a walking encyclopedia about the DVC at the moment -- I don't know as if the presentation would do anything more than make me want to sign at the dotted line right then and there!

 

[TarzansKat]

Heidi, that was a great idea to take that inventory. We're hoping to get DS some "Mr. Tato" as he fondly calls it, parts while we're in Downtown.

I mapped out where we'd like to go in the parks and made some lists. It was good to have a sense of purpose.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Heidi! My new PTR is up and running! Hopefully my link below is working. Amy

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

inquiring DISers want to know--did you just cut out the Home Depot Mickey heads?

I cut all the mickey heads from the paper cards they are on. Tip: cut at an angle under the paint chip part because it's not glued on the edges so you get a cleaner looking MH.

This is a great tip. I have a few others (after using almost all of my 70+ MHs this weekend):

1. If you're going to be using them to decorate something rounded (like the container I'm using for my "Going to See Mickey" spare change bank), peel the MHs right up off the square and try not to leave the paper/cardboard backing. What comes up is a rather flexible piece of paint with a backing that simply screams, "GLUE ME TO SOMETHING!"

2. When doing said gluing, know what works best? A small paint brush (the brush part should be no more than a half-inch big) and Elmer's Glue.

3. If you follow Tip 2, know what the best part is? Elmer's Glue washes right off stuff, including your paint chip. So, if the front gets a little messy while you're all a-gluin' just lightly wipe it with a damp cloth and the extra glue comes right off!

You don't have to put a Mr.P body in the box....get one at Wal-mart so you can get more parts in the box at Disney.

I need to add this to my To Do list.

 

[MRYPPNS]

about inventorying the Mr. Potato Head parts!

But hey, this way you'll be sure to get everything you want with no repeats of parts you already have, so it's a very smart thing to do.

Disney stuff I did today--nothing.

I'm glad I did it because I found out that I have 2 pairs of Tink wings and shoes but only 1 Tink hair. And then I have 3 left hand Mickey gloves and 1 right hand glove...ugh!

I so want a Mr. Potato Head.

I sadly did almost nothing for Disney today. I folded the socks I bought at Walmart last night for the trip. Oh...and I cut the LGMH's out from the home depot paint chip but that is as far as I got.

I love new socks....I just bought a bunch for me and DH. But I made DH promise that if he got new socks he would throw out the old nasty ones!

I feel like a walking encyclopedia about the DVC at the moment -- I don't know as if the presentation would do anything more than make me want to sign at the dotted line right then and there!

Have you checked re-sale yet? DVCByResale.com does nothing but DVC re-sales.

Heidi, that was a great idea to take that inventory. We're hoping to get DS some "Mr. Tato" as he fondly calls it, parts while we're in Downtown.

I mapped out where we'd like to go in the parks and made some lists. It was good to have a sense of purpose.

They also have Mr.P parts in the big gift shop in ToonTown but I prefer to save it for my shopping day at DTD.

Hi Heidi! My new PTR is up and running! Hopefully my link below is working. Amy

Check out Amy PTR! I already did!!!

This is a great tip. I have a few others (after using almost all of my 70+ MHs this weekend):

1. If you're going to be using them to decorate something rounded (like the container I'm using for my "Going to See Mickey" spare change bank), peel the MHs right up off the square and try not to leave the paper/cardboard backing. What comes up is a rather flexible piece of paint with a backing that simply screams, "GLUE ME TO SOMETHING!"

2. When doing said gluing, know what works best? A small paint brush (the brush part should be no more than a half-inch big) and Elmer's Glue.

3. If you follow Tip 2, know what the best part is? Elmer's Glue washes right off stuff, including your paint chip. So, if the front gets a little messy while you're all a-gluin' just lightly wipe it with a damp cloth and the extra glue comes right off!



I need to add this to my To Do list.

Get tips! I always use paintbrushes for glueing. And depending on the project, Elmer's glue can be watered down.

 

[MRYPPNS]

…..under the cover of my trip binder that is. Here she is!

Lots of PTRs will show you their binder’s cover but today I’m showing off some of what is inside. My binder is divided into 6 sections:
1. Itinerary
2. General Info
3. Resort
4. Dining
5. Transportation
6. Lists

In the Itinerary section I have my excel spreadsheet of my master schedule. A master schedule helps if you need to make changes on the fly during your vacation. In the columns it has the date; crowd levels & best/worst parks from UG and TGM; main activity for that day; breakfast; lunch; dinner; then a column for each of the parks’ hours and note about EMH’s.

Then I have numbered tabs 1-10 for each day of the vacation. Info included here are my Day by Day plan sheets from mousemanager software.
Here’s what it looks like:

Then I either have my written out Plan of Action (if it’s a non-park day) or my park touring plans printed out from touringplans.com (I have the subscription)….here’s what one of those looks like:

In the General Info section I have stuff like notes on best viewing spots for Wishes; info on recreation at FW campground; the Disney outlet stores in Orlando; UPS store locations (in case I need to ship home my shopping!); list of grocery/drug/Target stores with directions; and a few maps of other resorts that we will be visiting.

In the Resort section I have a colored map of CBR; my room cost comparison spreadsheet; and notes on other resorts. I’ll update this section with more information on our resort once I have booked it and committed to it.

In the Dining section I have a spreadsheet that compares prices; a list of snacks that I want (I’ll do a post of that list later); a summary of all our dining plans printed out from mousemanager. Then I have all the notes of when I priced out every meal that I was considering! I have gone back to it several times now. I have my original notes when I made my ADR’s (even thou I have the ADR #’s in several locations already. I printed out info and directions to the Cheesecake Factory….(yum-o), just in case. And I have the 2007 Food & Wine Festival booth menus. I will be updating and ocd’ing the new menus when they come out in September. And this year I’m planning on printing menu’s…mostly so I’ll know what’s available for DS (who will be 1 ½ yrs.old at the time).

In the Transportation section I have the print outs from mousemanager for our Flight and rental car details. Plus my print out from my confirmations from Southwest and National (plus Dollar as my back-up). I have directions to the resort from the airport with a stop at Target (we’ll have our GPS with us, but better safe then sorry with technology.) And I have all my notes from looking for rental cars.

The Lists section includes: a to-do list; packing lists; pre-Disney shopping list and our grocery shopping list for when we are in Orlando.

Well there you have it….under the cover of my binder. It really helps me keep organized.

 

[Native NYer]

Ok Heidi you are my trip planning Yoda!!!

I love that you showed what's in the binder, not just the cover.

I love the touringplans dot com park maps.

I'm attempting to organize my binder, with no clue where to start. Yours makes so much sense!!! I'm definitely going to borrow some of your ideas.

And Cheesecake Factory is the best. What's your fav cheesecake?

 

[Lady Lallie]

That is a simply amazing binder. Wow.
My poor binder has fallen to the wayside...I need to dust it off and finish it.

 

[mousescrapper]

Disney 101!

101 Days until we are in Walt Disney World!!!!

[/SIZE]

Count Down to Walt Disney World....100 Days!!!!

I'll try to update the pictures as we cover more days.

Happy in the 100 and less countdown...How super exciting October will be here so soon!

The Calendar, is beyond awesome! counting down from 100 that is going to keep you busy w/ fun. I had a hard time keeping up w/ just 30 days w/ the kids. But it looks great, love the glitter touch around #1

I had a little time today for some Disney planning....I felt like crossing something off my to-do list. So I did an inventory of my Mr. Potato Head parts. Yes you read that right, I inventoried my Mr. Potato Head parts. Now I can load up and buy 2 boxes this time instead of 1! I also made a list of parts that I don't have (thanks to a couple websites that sell parts) with the ones that I really need to complete an outfit highlighted. I'll print the lists and have them with me when I go to DTD.

What Disney stuff did you do today?

Ok this just cracks me up....we bought 1 box in 05 and another on this trip.

Here's what we have and I had no idea you could go online and find lists of parts....you know everything super disney-mom-planner!

Mary Poppins Umbrella
Cinderella slipper
red Mickey balloon
Stitch surfboard
mickey shaped pretzel
Mad Hatter hat
Mickey ears Santa hat
Mickey ears top hat
Mickey ears safari hat
coonskin cap
cowboy boots
Minnie bow
Goofy hat
Minnie shoes
purple lashed eyes
green mouth
Minnie ears pink hat w/ veil
Minnie ears wedding veil
white flower hat
Mickey Ears w/ Mr. Potato Name on it
red mickey shaped glasses
purple mouth w/ teeth
autograph book w/ pen and Mickey's autograph in it
purple mickey balloon
2 star wands
big purple eyes w/ lashes
red guitar
Mickey white gloves
pizza w/ Mickey pepperoni's
WDW resort suitcase
black mustache
Mickey Soccerer Hat
2 Sleeping Beauty Crown
Mickey shoes
Buzz Lightyear gun
Mickey mouse watch face
Mr. Potato guest of honor pin
Genie's lamp
WDW blue sandles

Oh and today 7-21 I ordered my Photopass CD w/ my Mom and for my upcoming b-day from DH a photo movie

 

[DisMomAmy]

I totally meant to stop by this weekend and do a double digit dance for you... so here it is, better late than never:



I'll be back later to comment on you AWESOME new binder! I haven't had a chance to read your whole post yet, but at first glance it looks great.

 

[willwriteforears]

Wow, Heidi, I am in awe of your binder! So incredibly detailed and organized--you're going to be 100 billion percent prepared for your trip!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm back... Your binder is AWESOME! Thanks for the inspiration - I already feel more organized. I bought a really cool lime green binder at Staples, but I haven't put anything in it yet - now I'm ready to get started!

First - back to your earlier question... Our timeshare is in Well, Maine. We've never actually stayed there! We always use it to exchange. It isn't the greatest timeshare so we have a hard time getting a lot of places. However, since Orlando is saturated with timeshares, we have always had great luck there. We seem to be able to get all types except DVC. Now that I know to do my homework we shouldn't get stuck in another dump like we did in March 06. In October we stayed at the Marriott Grande Vista - it was fantastic! We will stay there again if we have the chance. Either that or the Horizons by Marriott - because of their great pools for kids.

Now onto more important things - the binder! I love your master schedule - great use of UG & TGM together. I subscribe to both too and hope my master schedule looks as good as yours.

I'll definitely be checking out mousemanager - thanks for the preview!

I assume you aren't planning to bring the binder to the parks - how are you making your "general information" more portable? Index cards? For stuff like Wishes best seating areas?

And finally... Dining - I brought along the menus in October and they were very useful, especially for the kids. Well worth all the extra paper.

Keep up the amazing OTPing!

 

[MRYPPNS]

Ok Heidi you are my trip planning Yoda!!!

I love that you showed what's in the binder, not just the cover.

I love the touringplans dot com park maps.

I'm attempting to organize my binder, with no clue where to start. Yours makes so much sense!!! I'm definitely going to borrow some of your ideas.

And Cheesecake Factory is the best. What's your fav cheesecake?

You might what to download the mousemanager software, that might help you get organized if you don't have everything in one place yet.

I've only been to the Cheesecake Factory once....that was in Waikiki.

That is a simply amazing binder. Wow.
My poor binder has fallen to the wayside...I need to dust it off and finish it.

You don't have to finish it....at this point you just need to have the information easily available when you are on vacation.

Happy in the 100 and less countdown...How super exciting October will be here so soon!

The Calendar, is beyond awesome! counting down from 100 that is going to keep you busy w/ fun. I had a hard time keeping up w/ just 30 days w/ the kids. But it looks great, love the glitter touch around #1



Ok this just cracks me up....we bought 1 box in 05 and another on this trip.

Here's what we have and I had no idea you could go online and find lists of parts....you know everything super disney-mom-planner!

Mary Poppins Umbrella

Oh and today 7-21 I ordered my Photopass CD w/ my Mom and for my upcoming b-day from DH a photo movie

The Mary Poppins Unbrealla is the one thing I really want....they were out of stock when we last went .....I as beyond bummed! for the photopass CD!

I totally meant to stop by this weekend and do a double digit dance for you... so here it is, better late than never:



I'll be back later to comment on you AWESOME new binder! I haven't had a chance to read your whole post yet, but at first glance it looks great.

Yes double digits...I never thought we'd get here. I have placed a mickey, a tink, a minnie and today was a donald sticker on the calendar.

Wow, Heidi, I am in awe of your binder! So incredibly detailed and organized--you're going to be 100 billion percent prepared for your trip!

From your lips to Walts ears!!!! I'm worked on big events in the past as my number one rule is to have a baseline plan. If you know what the plan should be you can make adjustements as you go if need be.

I'm back... Your binder is AWESOME! Thanks for the inspiration - I already feel more organized. I bought a really cool lime green binder at Staples, but I haven't put anything in it yet - now I'm ready to get started!

First - back to your earlier question... Our timeshare is in Well, Maine. We've never actually stayed there! We always use it to exchange. It isn't the greatest timeshare so we have a hard time getting a lot of places. However, since Orlando is saturated with timeshares, we have always had great luck there. We seem to be able to get all types except DVC. Now that I know to do my homework we shouldn't get stuck in another dump like we did in March 06. In October we stayed at the Marriott Grande Vista - it was fantastic! We will stay there again if we have the chance. Either that or the Horizons by Marriott - because of their great pools for kids.
I can understand why you don't stay in Wells!
Now onto more important things - the binder! I love your master schedule - great use of UG & TGM together. I subscribe to both too and hope my master schedule looks as good as yours. This will be my one and only subscription to TGM....they still have not changed the name of the Studios on the site. I get all I need from touringplans.

I'll definitely be checking out mousemanager - thanks for the preview! Scrappie-Do used it too.

I assume you aren't planning to bring the binder to the parks - how are you making your "general information" more portable? Index cards? For stuff like Wishes best seating areas? I usually don't make the general info portable....if I read it and have DH read it in the room we are OK. If not I just pull it out and take it with us.
And finally... Dining - I brought along the menus in October and they were very useful, especially for the kids. Well worth all the extra paper. Good to know...that will be one of the last things I print as they will change.Keep up the amazing OTPing!

Thanks everyone for your kind words about my binder. I hope it was helpful. My Disney binder is one inch thick....my wedding binder was 5 inches thick.

 

[Native NYer]

You might what to download the mousemanager software, that might help you get organized if you don't have everything in one place yet.

I've only been to the Cheesecake Factory once....that was in Waikiki.

I just downloaded it and it's great!!! I love how it simplifies vacation planning. Thanks for the suggestion.

If you get to the Cheesecake Factory during your trip, try the banana cheesecake. It's delish!

 

[MRYPPNS]

I just downloaded it and it's great!!! I love how it simplifies vacation planning. Thanks for the suggestion.

If you get to the Cheesecake Factory during your trip, try the banana cheesecake. It's delish!

You're welcome and thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Lady Lallie]

I personally like the Cookie Dough. Yum. I also love their salads. There is one not too far from my house Heidi. In Burlington, MA. Yum Yum. There is also a rain forest cafe in the same area.

 

[MRYPPNS]

I personally like the Cookie Dough. Yum. I also love their salads. There is one not too far from my house Heidi. In Burlington, MA. Yum Yum. There is also a rain forest cafe in the same area.

That's an 1 1/2 hours from my house......when are we going to dinner????

 

[Lady Lallie]

That's an 1 1/2 hours from my house......when are we going to dinner????

Hehehe. That's not too bad then! Whenever. I am always up for Cheesecake Factory.

 

[willwriteforears]

::drool:: Cheesecake Factory! There's one in Boulder and one in Denver, so I can get my fix pretty easily. My fix generally comes at least once every three months.

I vary what I go for, but the pumpkin cheesecake is good (seasonal) and I like the lemon raspberry. As LL said, cookie dough is great! But I'd stick with the chocolate chip cookie dough; the peanut butter cookie dough isn't all that good IMHO. Not peanut buttery enough. Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple, though-- ::swoon::