~Snowbird Chat 2~

[Mndisneygirl]

Meghan - those are such cute pictures!! We ate a lot on Easter too! and all that candy...oy!

Shawna - do you know Brookelizabeth here on the boards? She lives in NYC and is a wealth of knowledge! She's also another disney travel agent BTW.
Congrats to your DS!! That's just awesome. I remember speech class - I was usually pretty nervous, but did well. Never had to do that one. We usually had to write them too.

Hoping to update my TR this weekend. Paige's b-day sleepover party is Saturday night, so I've got to bake a cake and do a few more errands for that.
Hope you all have a good weekend!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Glad to hear it!! I know you are relieved!!
Meghan--I am thinking that may/june will be a good weather time--not too hot and humid yet, but not freezing!

NYC does get very hot during the summer....especially the subway!!! Ick! My sister did 2 internships last year from Jan-April and she was so happy to be out of the city for the summer. Now she lives there so she has no choice! I think May/early June would be a good time to go.

Meghan - those are such cute pictures!! We ate a lot on Easter too! and all that candy...oy!

Shawna - do you know Brookelizabeth here on the boards? She lives in NYC and is a wealth of knowledge! She's also another disney travel agent BTW.
Congrats to your DS!! That's just awesome. I remember speech class - I was usually pretty nervous, but did well. Never had to do that one. We usually had to write them too.

Hoping to update my TR this weekend. Paige's b-day sleepover party is Saturday night, so I've got to bake a cake and do a few more errands for that.
Hope you all have a good weekend!!

Thanks Sheree! We have SO much candy at our house it's ridiculous. Everywhere you look there is more candy. I have a stomach ache just thinking about it!

Hope Paige has a fun sleepover! Madison has not had a friend sleepover our house yet, but she's gone to a few sleepovers at friend's houses. Too much chaos in our house already without a bunch a girl's running around!

 

[Lil'Mermaid75]

We went to NYC last June - did a cruise out of NYC and then spent some time there after the cruise. We had a blast - did all the touristy things. We stayed right in Times Square and loved it. It was warm, but wasn't over-bearing. Plus, the nice thing is the NYC schools shouldn't be out yet. We got such a great deal on the cruise because the local schools didn't get out until the week after our cruise (the difference in fares was unbelievable). And congrats to your DS! Its so nice to see when their hard work pays off.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

Shawna!! We are headed to NYC in early June. We are driving up on 6/7 and just staying for the weekend. My DH has to be up there for some work related stuff so we are going to meet him there. Rylan has been begging to go to NYC since he was 4. Its been 10 years since I've been up . . . I really don't like the city. We are going to do all of the touristy stuff: Statue of Liberty, Hershey Store (obligatory stop for DH), FAO/ToysRUs, Disney Store Don't think there will be any chance I can talk DH into a quick trip into Tiffany's.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

Double post.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hey girls! I guess because of all the updating on the boards, I haven't gotten any notifications since early yesterday or the night before-not sure which...Sheree,...I don't remember why, but I think I remember her...Yes, hook me up so i can get so me info!!!
Mindy, that might be the week we are there,...wouldn't that be hilarious to Dis Meet in NYC!?
All I know is I want in & out before the heat strikes! I gotta deal with it here,.do NOT want to be miserable on vacation! We are thinkin about 4 days--but I am wondering if I should schedule a few extra days for other parts of New York..or would that be too much and save it for a diff trip? As i have said before, ds12 and I are both worried about being over stimulated and getting headaches while we are there-times Square looks ominous to us! LOL... That's one reason I have never ever wanted to go- but mike and ds16 loved it and think the kids and I should go at least once,.. I think me having a plan should help a lot-- I can control where we are for how long... I personally would love to just go and hang out at the NY Library every day! Call me a nerd!
And I am not a shopper...not like some of my friends anyway,..do y'all remember when they went 2 years ago and Mike bought me that Gucci bag at Saks?! that was so unlike him! or me!!!! I love that purse and still use it all the time!! i might want to peek in there and see where he shopped...but that's not gonna be the majority of the trip for sure!
I want to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge! I think that would be amazing! What should be do for sure in Greenwhich (Sp?) village? Just look or what?
And Oh My Gosh!! Grand Central Station!! i have always wanted to see that! Probably ride the Staten Island Ferry--not sure about the Statue of Liberty--I thought i read that it's gonna be closed for a few weeks or something? Maybe I dreamed it! Like those Disney nightmares we have right before vacation!

 

[Monny2AE]

Hi Snowbirds! It's been a while! Hope everyone is well! It's been busy around here and I'm missing Disney terribly! Some days I just want to load up my van with the essentials and move to FL. We've been enjoying a few nice weekends of camping which is a nice break but it's no Disney We are also working on things around the house- picking out shingles to replace the roof soon and new flooring for the living room so we can finally rip up this 8yr old carpet. We've also had some unplanned repairs like the other day when I stepped in a puddle in the laundry room to find the hot water heater leaking. Thank goodness I married a handy person. Jason had the old one out and the new one in within a few hours. My daycare business is going well. I have a full load of six kids everyday so there's very little computer time these days it seems. I just renewed my credential which was lots of work and I'm glad it's over. Jason is still hearing rumors about layoffs. They let a few more people go last week but none from the technician department thankfully. Who knows. Thankfully he left the dealership he was at a couple years ago on good terms and he keeps in touch with them as friends. They have already told him he's welcome back anytime. I would hate to see it happen though- it meant longer hours, working Saturdays, less benefits and is more physically demanding than his current job. Any job is better than no job these days. Well that's my update- nothing too exciting! Until we can get back to Disney I'll have to live through all of you!

 

[danceintherain]

Oh NYC...

The only time I've stayed in a hotel up there was a while ago. I think we were about a block away from Times Square. I don't think you would have problems staying in Times Square. My Mom likes to stay in the Hilton Garden Inn in Times Square (or nearby, I'm not actually sure).

The other two times I stayed with my Aunt out in Queens, so I'm not help there.

Ellis Island is worth a visit. It's incredible to see the amount of space that used to be packed on a regular basis with people trying to come into the country.

Personally, I love the Ferris Wheel in the ToysRUs in Times Square. I just think its fun.

Have you looked into the New York CityPass? My sister and Mom did that when they went December 2010, and I think they thought it was worth the money. It may give you guidance as to what to see.

The Museum of Natural History is a lot of fun, and I could probably spend days in Central Park.

Don't try to walk too far. The island of New York isn't huge, but walking from place to place can be a bit daunting, even if it doesn't seem that far. I don't remember what Logan and I tried to walk between, but it was way too far. I recommend splitting your days into zones, so you're not moving around too much in a single day. Otherwise, it's definitely worth a trip!

 

[disneyshakeygirl]

I agree with Becca, the ferris wheel in Toys R Us is a great deal of fun, and Ellis Island is definitely worth a visit. The Disney Store is also amazing in Times Square.

My dad used to teach at Columbia University and used to commute between here and NYC every weekend. There's a restaurant called Jekyll and Hyde, which is amusing to look at. If you see Columbia, you can say that you saw one of the main filming locations for Ghostbusters.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Becca and Laura...thanks for the insight...I did hear the Ferris Wheel was pretty neat!! I think the zone idea is a good one,...I am looking at my guide map this weenend, trying to gage what's where and what are must do's for this bunch!!

 

[snykymom]

Hey girls! I guess because of all the updating on the boards, I haven't gotten any notifications since early yesterday or the night before-not sure which...Sheree,...I don't remember why, but I think I remember her...Yes, hook me up so i can get so me info!!!
Mindy, that might be the week we are there,...wouldn't that be hilarious to Dis Meet in NYC!?
All I know is I want in & out before the heat strikes! I gotta deal with it here,.do NOT want to be miserable on vacation! We are thinkin about 4 days--but I am wondering if I should schedule a few extra days for other parts of New York..or would that be too much and save it for a diff trip? As i have said before, ds12 and I are both worried about being over stimulated and getting headaches while we are there-times Square looks ominous to us! LOL... That's one reason I have never ever wanted to go- but mike and ds16 loved it and think the kids and I should go at least once,.. I think me having a plan should help a lot-- I can control where we are for how long... I personally would love to just go and hang out at the NY Library every day! Call me a nerd!
And I am not a shopper...not like some of my friends anyway,..do y'all remember when they went 2 years ago and Mike bought me that Gucci bag at Saks?! that was so unlike him! or me!!!! I love that purse and still use it all the time!! i might want to peek in there and see where he shopped...but that's not gonna be the majority of the trip for sure!
I want to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge! I think that would be amazing! What should be do for sure in Greenwhich (Sp?) village? Just look or what?
And Oh My Gosh!! Grand Central Station!! i have always wanted to see that! Probably ride the Staten Island Ferry--not sure about the Statue of Liberty--I thought i read that it's gonna be closed for a few weeks or something? Maybe I dreamed it! Like those Disney nightmares we have right before vacation!

The hotels in Times Square are well-insulated for sound & light - they understand what the issue is. You shouldn't have any problem. And Times Square is a great place to be - you can get anywhere easily via Times Square.

A hint about getting around - I grew up in NJ and my dad worked in NY. He always said, "If you have time and money, you take a cab. If you have time and no money, you take a bus. If you don't have time, whether you have money or not, you take the subway."

If you can, I'd suggest going to the TKTS booth in Duffy Square (which is really part of the Times Square area) to get discount tickets for a Broadway show. There's nothing like Broadway. The booth opens around 10 for a matinee, and 3 for an evening performance, and it sells only day-of tickets.

But i also want to say, do NOT take children to see Mary Poppins! I know it's Disney, but other than the opening and ending, it is NOT the movie. It takes stories from the books (there are about 20 in the series) that were not in the movies, and much of it is very dark. My daughter & I were just looking at each other saying, "What???" It is also clearly NOT recommended for children under 7.

Newsies opened recently & we're seeing it next week. That might be one to check out.

Whatever you do, remember that, just like at Disney, you don't have to do everything!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Such good advice!!!
I did the "zone" thing when we were in London. We did try to walk one time and it was MILES!! The poor kids! Our poor feet...

We saw Mary Poppins with our kids and it was a lot different. I think a lot of it went over their heads. But we had only seen the movie a couple times, so it wasn't like it was ingrained in their minds.

I'd recommend The Lion King if you can. It's just amazing!!!


Question for anyone - especially if you've stayed at Poly and/or watched fireworks from the beach.
I know they pipe in the Wishes music. Do they pipe it in if it's a party night, such as MNSSHP? I want to make an ADR for 'Ohana and then go down to the beach to watch Wishes, but it might be a party night and it would be Hallowishes. I want to make sure to hear the music. Someone told me at Cali Grill they had watched Holiday Wishes and was pretty sure they had the Christmas music piped in. We'll be going to MNSSHP anyway, but it would be better with the music, right?

ETA: Never mind. I asked on the theme parks board and someone told me they do pipe it in and also told me where to sit!!!

 

[disneyshakeygirl]

The thing with Mary Poppins is that the show is based off the books, not the movie. PL Travers hated the movie apparently, and thus the musical came about. Yes, it is definitely dark and not the cheery movie we all know and love. If you are considering going to see it, read the books first and make up your mind from there.

Newsies is apparently very, very good. A friend of mine went to go see it opening night, as he used to work with Disney Theatrical, and just raved about it.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I love the music from Newsies!! My older DD did a musical theater dance to Seize the Day and they had a companion dance with Kings of NY. It was really cute. They were dressed as the Newsies!

 

[Monny2AE]

I'd appreciate some prayers my Snowbird friends. Jason was laid off today. His last day is this Thursday so we weren't given much notice at all. Please pray that he finds a job quickly!

 

[Pluto_fan]

Oh, Kim! Definitely sending lots of prayers your way!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Prayers for you guys Kim.

 

[Lil'Mermaid75]

Oh, Kim.....prayers coming your way.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

Thoughts and prayers for you, Kim.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Kim, I am so sorry! Poor Jason! That was super quick! I remember last week you thought y'all were gonna miss the lay-offs!!
Can he still get his old job back? We will be praying for you!

I have read the Mary Poppins books to the kids-they are def different from the movie! But, I still loved them! I dont' know if we are gonna do a Broadway or not--we just have to work on our list first...

Today, is mine & Mike's 18th Anniversary!! Our whole bunch went out of town Sat and came back last night...we have all wanted to just go out of town and go do something out of the norm,so we went this weekend. Sat night the kids stayed in the room and watched a movie, and we went out and strolled around and talked...it was lots of fun!! We were ready to come home around 1 yesterday,.. We got the new camera last night!!! Decided on the Canon-charged the battery and was planning to start playing with it today. Didn't do it! Had other stuff to do and we are all dragging around due to our super gray and rainy day!!!

Also, gonna try and post a pic of a haircut...I tried to grow it out again,--Mike likes it okay when it's short, but better long...we were talking about it yesterday and he said<"Yeah, I forgot when it grows out what happens' !! LOL...It is so fine (not thin, just fine texture and we have tons of humidity) so it just lays flat and limp-- I have to have bangs, so put that with a pony tail/clip and I look 12. And it looks awful and stringy, so I am gonna go back to a bob... IF I can find the picture I like I will post it on here...if not, it's on my wall on my FB page... Also, when Chelsea Kane (Staub) got her bob, it's about that length... I am so used to my hair not falling down my neck, that this length is killing me!!! I can't believe it's gotten as long as it has....I didn't intend to grow it back out, I have just been too busy to tell her how I wanted it cut, and just got trims!