She's Turning Five at Disney World, a September 2014 PTR

[GrandCalifornian]

We finally had an off weekend at home this past weekend, so Melissa got to do some sewing for Disney. Looking at the calendar, there are only a few more weekends before we go where we don't have something going on. That should make the time go by quickly, but that also doesn't leave long to get things done.

We bought this shirt on clearance at the Disney Store months ago with plans to make it into a tshirt dress.


This is how it turned out when Melissa was done with it. She also made Allie a pair of shorts for underneath it, and Allie loves them too.


Yes, she had to put the shorts on right away and wouldn't take them off.

The plan is for her to wear this dress on one of our Animal Kingdom days but I try not to make my clothing plans too firm because Allie has a way of making her own.

I really don't have super high aspirations of getting a new dress sewn for every day of our trip. I think I might have time for 2, maybe three more and one of those should be an Elsa dress.

The good news is that most of her Disney dresses I've already sewn still fit. Some from that first year are getting a little short but there are only a few she's outgrown completely

See, ygoing three years in a row pays off!

This dress is currently in the works and I ran out of the yellow dot fabric. I can put the dress together without it but I'm struggling with whether or not to order more, and if I do whether or not to order fabric for other projects for the trip as well.


We've also bought some cute stuff, including a couple of Disney outfits. We got a Frozen shirt at the Disney store and a Pink Minnie dress at Kohls that Allie just loves. She'll probably want to wear them on the trip.

I'm also considering ordering a pillowcase dress on Etsy. I guess if I'm gonna do that I should soon.

In other news, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise at the mailbox.


Last night we also got our first real piece of MICKEY MAIL! They are just the extra ME tags I ordered but it was super fun to get them and makes the trip seem even more real and close.
They are going right on the luggage as soon as Paul digs it out of the shed.

Ahh yes, we are not waiting until we are standing at the airport checkin counter like last year...

I am itching to get out the luggage and even start packing, but I will force myself to wait a few more weeks for that.

Next up though we are going to do some cleanup and maintenance on our well used stroller before the trip, but that will be in the next update.

 

[Wood Nymph]

You must be getting very excited about this trip. We hit the 49 day mark, but you are even closer than that.

I'm glad some of last years clothes fit Allie. She will be the best dressed girl in the parks. I love the Jungle Book theme dress. The little shorts are darling. I can see why she wouldn't take them off.

We frequently put the luggage tags on at the last minute, too. One time we were heading out the door for the airport before I remembered them.

I've heard rumors that some of the Frozen stuff might be extended to September. That would be fun if it was still there when we get there. I would love to go to the Sing-a-long.

 

[WDWKOOK]

It's getting so close to trip time. It's going to be so much fun seeing Allie model all her beautiful outfits ONSITE. She will be the best dressed at POR . It's so funny how fast time passes. You were just buying the shirt to make a dress and now it's done and almost time to pack it up.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

You must be getting very excited about this trip. We hit the 49 day mark, but you are even closer than that.

I'm glad some of last years clothes fit Allie. She will be the best dressed girl in the parks. I love the Jungle Book theme dress. The little shorts are darling. I can see why she wouldn't take them off.

We frequently put the luggage tags on at the last minute, too. One time we were heading out the door for the airport before I remembered them.

I've heard rumors that some of the Frozen stuff might be extended to September. That would be fun if it was still there when we get there. I would love to go to the Sing-a-long.

Ahh yes, the countdown to September! It feesls a little strange wishing the summer away, but it gives us something neat to look forward to at the end of it. We're at 37 days today!

Allie will be dressed her way, that's for sure... She definitely can have an opinion about what to wear. She loves the T-shirt dresses though, and they are an easy way to make something unique.

We are hoping for an extension of the Frozen stuff too. If it happens, we'll be spending more time at Hollywood Studios than we currently have planned. Either way though we've got our Fastpass+ to meet Anna and Elsa, and Allie wants to be Elsa for BBB, so there will be some Frozen activities going on for us.

Have a great time getting ready for your trip. It is getting really close too, and then you'll have another one to follow it up the next month. That seems like the perfect way to combat post-trip depression.

It's getting so close to trip time. It's going to be so much fun seeing Allie model all her beautiful outfits ONSITE. She will be the best dressed at POR . It's so funny how fast time passes. You were just buying the shirt to make a dress and now it's done and almost time to pack it up.

Time does fly by. We are always looking for deals on Disney stuff, then sometimes we're surprised when we get out the boxes and see what we have acquired. It is neat to have stuff done and ready, and I can't wait to start packing.

We'll be sure to post some pics during the trip. We will definitely swing by WL, and can provide an update on the construction there. Besides, she has to have somewhere to wear her WL dress, even if it is a little small...

 

[kastoney]

Totally love the jungle book dress. As always, you are oh so talented. Allie is one lucky girl. Though we are in the same boat with opinions. My 3 year old told me something I dressed her in wasn't stylish. Gotta love little girls.

We got our ME in the mail today too. Had to do a little happy dance. Getting so close is more and more exciting. We have just about every week booked too between now and the trip. Hopefully the time flies for us both.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are hoping for an extension of the Frozen stuff too. If it happens, we'll be spending more time at Hollywood Studios than we currently have planned. Either way though we've got our Fastpass+ to meet Anna and Elsa, and Allie wants to be Elsa for BBB, so there will be some Frozen activities going on for us.

Disney has officially announced that they are extending the Frozen Summer Fun into September. The fireworks will only be on the weekends, but the rest of it should be daily.

Have a great time getting ready for your trip. It is getting really close too, and then you'll have another one to follow it up the next month. That seems like the perfect way to combat post-trip depression.

Thanks. We had intended to only take one trip, September OR October, but then my DH really wanted both, so there you have it. We'll take an Epcot-HS centered trip in Sept at the YC and a MK area centered trip from the WL in Oct. It is better than a split stay. And it definitely helps combat post-trip depression.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Totally love the jungle book dress. As always, you are oh so talented. Allie is one lucky girl. Though we are in the same boat with opinions. My 3 year old told me something I dressed her in wasn't stylish. Gotta love little girls.

We got our ME in the mail today too. Had to do a little happy dance. Getting so close is more and more exciting. We have just about every week booked too between now and the trip. Hopefully the time flies for us both.

Yes our trips are getting close, and you've got one less day than we do... Thanks for the compliments, but the T-shirt dresses aren't that difficult with a pattern to follow. This weekend Melissa hopes to make some more progress on the other sewing projects.

We're still waiting on our bigger Mickey Mail package, and then in a couple weeks there will be Magic Bands coming. It is neat

Disney has officially announced that they are extending the Frozen Summer Fun into September. The fireworks will only be on the weekends, but the rest of it should be daily.

Breaking News!!!
and we heard it here first! Thanks! Allie will be happy to go see that stuff, and it might mean a second trip to HS for us. Gotta look at the schedule...

Thanks. We had intended to only take one trip, September OR October, but then my DH really wanted both, so there you have it. We'll take an Epcot-HS centered trip in Sept at the YC and a MK area centered trip from the WL in Oct. It is better than a split stay. And it definitely helps combat post-trip depression.

That's nice. We're going to have to wait a while for our next trip, but that's ok. We will see how long we last before renewing our Disneyland passes when we get back from the trip. I'm betting we don't make it much more than a month...

 

[fancifull]

Hello again! I commented a few weeks back but hadn't actually had a chance to read any of this year's PTR at that time. I have finally caught up and am ready to join in!

We also tried to stay at POR! We really wanted to stay in the princess rooms, but I'm guessing that cast member booking is really limited there because when we tried to book in April for late-Sept, everything was already full. We stayed at POP last time and loved it, but with a split stay between my friend's apartment & a resort, we could afford to go up a class and we really wanted to do so. We ended up with Coronado Springs and I'll be flying in the evening of your departure date ! Only 43 days left for us!!

For a second when you talked about changing ADRs and mentioned Via Napoli, I thought you were going to say you canceled it! I'm really glad you didn't, I bet you guys are going to love it! We went with 3 adults and ended up splitting a regular sized pizza and then each getting a meal, so I didn't have to choose between pizza and pasta

Allie is SO CUTE!! I loved reading that conversation of what she wants to do on her birthday. I cracked up at "shake my booty" and her insistence that you write it down hahaha.

I hope Melissa gets the Elsa dress done! The fabric looks cool and the finished project I'm sure will look awesome.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Hello again! I commented a few weeks back but hadn't actually had a chance to read any of this year's PTR at that time. I have finally caught up and am ready to join in!

We also tried to stay at POR! We really wanted to stay in the princess rooms, but I'm guessing that cast member booking is really limited there because when we tried to book in April for late-Sept, everything was already full. We stayed at POP last time and loved it, but with a split stay between my friend's apartment & a resort, we could afford to go up a class and we really wanted to do so. We ended up with Coronado Springs and I'll be flying in the evening of your departure date ! Only 43 days left for us!!

For a second when you talked about changing ADRs and mentioned Via Napoli, I thought you were going to say you canceled it! I'm really glad you didn't, I bet you guys are going to love it! We went with 3 adults and ended up splitting a regular sized pizza and then each getting a meal, so I didn't have to choose between pizza and pasta

Allie is SO CUTE!! I loved reading that conversation of what she wants to do on her birthday. I cracked up at "shake my booty" and her insistence that you write it down hahaha.

I hope Melissa gets the Elsa dress done! The fabric looks cool and the finished project I'm sure will look awesome.

We're glad you enjoyed catching up. Time is really flying now, and you'll be at WDW before you know it. That means we'll be headed home in only that many days, but oh well, I just won't focus on that part.

We were fortunate to get a room at POR and keep our free dining, which we were able to do since we booked it as a bounce back. We looked at the Royal Rooms, but chose a preferred room instead to be closer to the lobby and food court.

We are definitely looking forward to Via Napoli. With five of us we'll get to order a few different things and we'll all get to share. Hopefully someone gets some pasta because that does sound good too.

Thanks for the compliments and for following along. We'll post more as we wrap things up and get ready to go over the next month or so, and then we'll share some pictures once we are there so you'll have something to watch for in that last week before you head out.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

One task we wanted to get done before this year's trip was giving some attention to our favorite park stroller. We have a City Mini Baby Jogger that we bought shortly before our first WDW trip with Allie when she was three, and besides two Florida trips it has seen countless trips to Disneyland, not to mention the usual trips to the mall and the general abuse it suffers from living in the back of the minivan.

It is definately a work horse. We went through 4 different strollers before we found the baby jogger and quite frankly it's the one we should have bought in the very beginning.
It was starting to get pretty grimy, there were some stains on the seat and the rubber handle grip had split.



I didn't really notice, but I'd go around wearing dirty clothes if Melissa wasn't around to tell me to wash them...

I decided to contact Baby Jogger to see what I could do about the handle grip and they just took my address and said they'd send a replacement at no charge. It is a neat retrofit, its a rubber grip with a zipper which made it really easy to install after we finished removing the old grip.

This weekend we decided to see how far apart we could get the stroller to wash it and figured we'd do the new handle grip at the same time, making it a bit of a stroller makeover..



There were also some random stickers that needed to be removed. It wasn't too hard to get all of the cloth off of it. I just stuck it in the washer on delicate then set it in the sun to dry a bit. I left it a little too long though because I really had to stretch it to get it back on the frame but it ended up going on.

The handle replacement was super easy, and the zipper works well to attach it.



Once it was all back together, it was almost like a new stroller.



It sure smelled alot better.

And so do my clothes when I wash them... Really though, it was nice and easy to clean up the stroller and now it will be all nice for its third WDW trip.

I tried to get some sewing done this weekend too but my serger didn't cooperate. I got frustrated and had to walk away from it. It happens sometimes, I think it's the thread so I headed to Joann to get some better thread and while I was there I picked up this!


It was only 99 cents because all of their patterns were on sale this weekend. It is going to be nice to have a good pattern for the Elsa dress and not have to wing it. Plus it should save some time.

Another highlight of the weekend was that we got our main Mickey Mail package. We had already received our extra DME tags, but we got the main package with the resort vouchers and the rest of our luggage tags.


The trip is rapidly approaching. We're at 32 days now, so after today it is pretty much a month or less away!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Once it was all back together, it was almost like a new stroller.

The stroller looks great. It will be nice to have that new grip, too.

It was only 99 cents because all of their patterns were on sale this weekend. It is going to be nice to have a good pattern for the Elsa dress and not have to wing it. Plus it should save some time.

Ninety-nine cents is really cheap for a pattern, especially a Frozen one. I remember how ridiculously expensive patterns were getting, and that was 20 years ago. It will be nice to have a real pattern for the Elsa dress.

The trip is rapidly approaching. We're at 32 days now, so after today it is pretty much a month or less away!

Your MagicBands will be shipping soon. Are you planning on decorating them?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

The stroller looks great. It will be nice to have that new grip, too.

Yeah, it is such a nice stroller that it will be nice to have it all cleaned up for the trip.

Ninety-nine cents is really cheap for a pattern, especially a Frozen one. I remember how ridiculously expensive patterns were getting, and that was 20 years ago. It will be nice to have a real pattern for the Elsa dress.

We would have been willing to pay the full price of $18.99, so getting it for a dollar was a great deal. Melissa should have time to start cutting fabric for that dress soon.

Your MagicBands will be shipping soon. Are you planning on decorating them?

We have been watching the Magic Band decorating thread for ideas, and since we already have a set of bands from our APs I think we'll play with trying to decorate one set. For mine I am thinking paint on a green one to make it look like the green monorail. Melissa and Allie aren't sure yet, but once we start playing with them we should come up with something.

 

[WDWKOOK]

I was laughing at your comment about not washing your clothes if Melissa didn't remind you. I think you're very typical/normal and I almost felt sorry for you having to wash the "patina" off your stroller. So many memories were cleaned away, but new memories will soon cover the stroller…especially if you check it

Yippee for more Mickey Mail and confirmation that your trip is almost here! Do the dogs know about the impending doom? Is your brother going to make sure he locks the gate really well this time?

Patterns can cost almost $20?! Wow, I had no idea. Can you print them at home cheaper somehow? That was probably a really dumb question - sorry

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I was laughing at your comment about not washing your clothes if Melissa didn't remind you. I think you're very typical/normal and I almost felt sorry for you having to wash the "patina" off your stroller. So many memories were cleaned away, but new memories will soon cover the stroller…especially if you check it

Yippee for more Mickey Mail and confirmation that your trip is almost here! Do the dogs know about the impending doom? Is your brother going to make sure he locks the gate really well this time?

Patterns can cost almost $20?! Wow, I had no idea. Can you print them at home cheaper somehow? That was probably a really dumb question - sorry

Yep, I am a typical guy. If it doesn't smell bad, it isn't really dirty, right? Cleaning some of the stickers off was a little sad, but they were worn and there are always more stickers at Disney.

The dogs don't seem to know something is up yet, but that will probably happen when we bring in the suitcases. We still have a couple more weekend trips to the river that they get to go on, so they will enjoy those before the world "ends" by them being left home. Diesel, our Great Dane, made sure to get in the stroller picture though. I bet Melissa's brother doesn't even unlock the gate this year.

Patterns can cost almost $20?! Wow, I had no idea. Can you print them at home cheaper somehow? That was probably a really dumb question - sorry

No dumb questions here That is pricey for a pattern but the pattern includes sizes from toddler to adult so really it's not that bad, the bummer is you have to buy all of the sizes. You can print patterns however they aren't always cheaper, often they are more but are more boutique like if that makes sense. My favorite patterns are one's I've bought online including the t-shirt dress patterns I use. - Melissa

 

[kastoney]

Wow, you all really went all out on the stroller. Ours is still holding strong after 3 years, but it certainly couldn't sustain disney at this point even with a makeover.

I've gotta comment on the dog in the background. Is that a great sane? He/she is beautiful.

Good luck with the else costume. Like u we are so excited the frozen events were extended. Maybe I will even like MGM this time around

Happy sewing!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Wow, you all really went all out on the stroller. Ours is still holding strong after 3 years, but it certainly couldn't sustain disney at this point even with a makeover. I've gotta comment on the dog in the background. Is that a great sane? He/she is beautiful. Good luck with the else costume. Like u we are so excited the frozen events were extended. Maybe I will even like MGM this time around Happy sewing!

We do think that is the perfect Disney stroller. The one hand folding is awesome when it is time to get on a bus.

That is our Great Dane Diesel. He was our first child, since we got him right after we got married. He weighs 180 lbs now. He is a good dog, but not very bright. (Really, he got kicked out of obedience class...)




His smarter little sister is Shelby, our pound dog.


We are way more excited about HS now with the Frozen stuff extended. It has to make it more interesting for the girls.

Melissa is looking forward to getting some sewing done soon, but we'll be gone this weekend so we'll see.

 

[kastoney]

Diesel is adorable, thanks for the pics. We are the not so proud owners of a mentally challenged 170 lb Newfie. He's sweet, but dumb and as I'm sure you know the size coupled with those attributes keeps things interesting.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Diesel is adorable, thanks for the pics. We are the not so proud owners of a mentally challenged 170 lb Newfie. He's sweet, but dumb and as I'm sure you know the size coupled with those attributes keeps things interesting.

Aww, you know how it is then. Newfies are adorable too. Some friends of ours have one and she is great with the kids. Diesel is definitely big and dumb, but he loves Allie and keeps a close eye on her. She is just used to his size, and thinks it is perfectly normal to have a dog that size in the house.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Now that we're down to just 24 days to go (and more importantly 17 work days ) we made a few more tweaks to our schedule. Nothing that affects ADRs or FP+, just looking at when we want to be where. I guess I should start by explaining that we are doing more planning than ever before for this trip. We have a better feel for what we want to do this time, and with all of us being there it will be nice to have a good idea what's next. Also that way Grandma and Grandpa can pick and choose what they want to do and not miss out on any of their favorites.

Paul reviewed the park schedule and found that the MK will be open late on the night we arrive, because it's a Saturday night we changed our plans to go to the Guest Services over there rather than dealing with the crowds at DTD to get our passes straightened out. Since we'll be over there anyway we should try our passes to make sure they work and take a stroll down Main Street on our first night.

Since the park is open till 11, we'll have plenty of time. We've never gone to a park on our arrival day, so it should be a fun way to jump right in. We also decided to move our dinner at Trail's End to Wednesday from Friday, to allow us to spend more time hanging out in Epcot during Food and Wine. Since we aren't scheduling it as an ADR, we can be flexible on when we get over there.

I am super excited to experience Food and Wine and am looking forward to seeing JoDee Messina as part of the Eat to the Beat concert series. Of all the bands that are playing she is the one I want to see the most so I'm glad we just happen to be going when she'll be there.

That really should be fun, and it fits in the schedule very well, like we planned it that way... Anyway, here is our color coded Excel spreadsheet of our daily plans:


It has a lot of park hopping, although there aren't plans for any more than two parks in a day. (We did do all four two years ago...) We also noticed that we are at Epcot for four out of the nine nights, but we do like Epcot.

plus with Food and Wine we'd like to experience World Showcase both before (for lower crowds) and after (for obvious reasons)

Yes! We usually just miss Food and Wine, but enjoy the low crowds. Maybe this will be the best of both. We really aren't crazy planners, and this is by far the most detail we've gone into, but I do think it will be really nice to have a plan, and it fits in well with FP+ and ADRs. I also have a PDF file that we can each have on our phones with a page for each day listing our activities, so we know the plan.


We're also looking at our shopping lists for what we need to get ordered before the trip. Melissa and Allie need new sandals, and we want to pick up a second external phone battery charger pack, along with putting together our usual Garden Grocer order. With all of us going we can just about meet the minimum with water alone, but we usually get a few extra treats.

I'm also getting Allie a couple small activities for the plane, even with the TV I like to take a couple things to do in case there isn't anything appropriate to watch... last year on the way home she watched Family Guy, I think I lost my mom of the year award.

Melissa is also going to try to pick up some temporary tatoos for Magic Band decorating. The tracking says our bands are due to arrive on Thursday, although we have our AP bands we could start with anytime we feel creative.

Which may very well be tonight. I do have a couple dresses to work on and I'm really running out of time!

Yeah, it is getting close now, and this Saturday is our last totally open day before the trip. We'll let you all know what we get done...

Speaking of running.... part of what has been taking my time away from sewing is training for the Disneyland Half-Marathon, it's coming up in a couple weeks and I'm really excited. I ran 10 miles a couple weekends ago and finished well under the pacing requirements so I feel super ready.

I am looking forward to watching Melissa run the race. That will be a special trip to Disneyland. I doubt we'll do a whole lot of park walking afterwards though.


I might need help walking back to the van.

We'll let you all know how that goes on Labor Day weekend. I guess that's about all for now, but look for more updates coming soon.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Did you know that you can now get a FastPast for the Frozen Sing Along?