So this is what mid-life crisis feels like? Dec 2011 PTR

[shocky5]

I posted in the group page for you too! I am going before you and just received mine on Thursday or Friday (I forgot to post it) so yours may be coming! Mine was 3 luggage tags (because I have 3 people) and a book with the coupons that they mention you get with the magic your way package! So yes they do send it if you booked a package so yours may be coming soon since I got mine around the 2 1/2 week until Disney mark! You may want to call to check what I say because it's just what I got that I am going by!

Thank you Heather!!

 

[shocky5]

HOLY MOLY... our crowd levels jumped up with the park hour changes... haven't had a chance to really go through everything... but I do know that we have an 8:05a Crystal Palace ADR at MK and now they are opening at 8a... opinions, please... keep or cancel? I still think we can get in the park a little before 8 to get some good pics taken but how fast should we eat to get out in the park??

More info later... but would love your thoughts! That particular MK day is a MVMCP day, so crowd level is at 1.1 - so not predicted to be crowded but whoever really knows??

 

[KatMark]

Just wanted to pop in while I had a chance and wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Monknmom]

HOLY MOLY... our crowd levels jumped up with the park hour changes... haven't had a chance to really go through everything... but I do know that we have an 8:05a Crystal Palace ADR at MK and now they are opening at 8a... opinions, please... keep or cancel? I still think we can get in the park a little before 8 to get some good pics taken but how fast should we eat to get out in the park??

More info later... but would love your thoughts! That particular MK day is a MVMCP day, so crowd level is at 1.1 - so not predicted to be crowded but whoever really knows??

I saw Ann post the same problem but I can't remember where- maybe it wasn't even her but I think that it depends on what you want out of the breakfast more... a good picture with the castle (because I think your allowed in 15-20 minutes earlier), more time in the park with less crowds or the chance to see Winnie the Pooh? And then decide from there! If you want to be in the park earlier for the castle picture I think that you should keep it but then again your probably going to be just finishing breakfast when the off site people are walking in or about to walk in! I may be wrong about all of this though... so never mind it! Let's wait for a vet to answer!

 

[Monknmom]

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you have a really great day! This picture reminds me o our husbands! I also found this website for sending a greeting from Santa if you wanted!

So here is the website for that! I sent it to Damien and thought it was cute how he interacted with it!

 

[shocky5]

Just wanted to pop in while I had a chance and wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thank you Kathy!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you have a really great day! This picture reminds me o our husbands! I also found this website for sending a greeting from Santa if you wanted!

So here is the website for that! I sent it to Damien and thought it was cute how he interacted with it!

Thank you Heather! I also checked out the website... SO CUTE! I loved it! DH even thought it was cool! We are going to do that for all 3 of our kids - they will love it, too!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

 

[shocky5]

Thank you Ashley! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, as well!! Enjoy your family!!

 

[shocky5]

I guess I'm just in the mood to ramble tonight... really should be doing some cooking/baking... but I'll do that here in a little bit.

I'm just amazed at how quickly this year is going. I saw Ann's ticker say 16 more days... WOW! We've all had some crazy spots in our year and tonight I'm thankful that this board has been a source of 'release' and the friendships we've begun. If a day goes by and I haven't had time to check in with everyone, I find myself wanting to MAKE some time soon so I can check on everyone!

I finally got Mr. Nate's birthday nailed down... his birthday is a week from Saturday and if you will remember - our last birthday of the year before our trip. I can't believe my baby is going to be 9!! But we have rented the party room at the local YMCA and pool time so we are having a swim party in December! AND that means I can't pack the swimsuits just yet....

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels if you are on the road! We decided to stay at home rather than travel back out to Eddie's side of the family... he made the decision and when I finished up the work week, I literally had tears in my eyes for the simple fact that I could just 'go home' and not have to go anywhere or pack or carpool kids all over town. I'm thankful for that as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

[KatMark]

I'm just amazed at how quickly this year is going. I saw Ann's ticker say 16 more days... WOW! We've all had some crazy spots in our year and tonight I'm thankful that this board has been a source of 'release' and the friendships we've begun. If a day goes by and I haven't had time to check in with everyone, I find myself wanting to MAKE some time soon so I can check on everyone!

Very well said, Amy. I have found some lifetime friends here, and the support and love from all of you throughout the year, is truly something to be thankful for.

 

[shocky5]

Very well said, Amy. I have found some lifetime friends here, and the support and love from all of you throughout the year, is truly something to be thankful for.

Thank you Kathy!

 

[shocky5]

I'm a day late on my next update but I wanted to wait until I had officially hit

THE TEEN's!!!!

19 Days!!! 2 weeks, 6 days!!! 14 more work days!!!

I absolutely cannot believe it's so close! I'm going to start packing up over the next week because I have a feeling I'm going to have to fill in some gaps in regards to clothes. We are set on t-shirts but Nolan hit a tremendous growth spurt over the past couple of weeks - I knew it was coming but I'm not sure what shorts will fit him and his jeans are perfect for a flood... Good news is Nate just came into A LOT OF jeans so he should be set until spring!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving - I think... My oldest brother dropped a bomb on us that he's moving out of his home and filing for divorce on Monday. A few of you know the reasons behind this but in a nutshell, whether or not he actually follows through remains to be seen but all the wheels are in motion and my nieces and nephew are devastated. I haven't even covered this with my kids yet - they will be devastated as well - and won't understand. This is uncharted territory for us. Anyway - aside from that - we've had a good holiday weekend.

Christmas tree is up, house lights are up, all presents are wrapped (that I've purchased so far - still have a bit more to get), and I've got just over two weeks left of class.

Nate's birthday is a week from today! So I need to shift gears and focus on getting invitations out and his cake ordered! Definitely plenty to be done before we leave but I'm so excited and ready for Disney!!

Next update coming up!

 

[shocky5]

12/22 - Round 2 of DHS and AK

This is undoubtedly going to be our wildest day! We have a bit of a change here than what we had originally planned.

This is Eddie's second full day at Disney so we are dedicating one full day to Epcot and MK and then doing a split between DHS and AK. With the crowd prediction jump... what we actually accomplish remains to be seen!

He wanted to eat breakfast pre-park opening, which I totally agree with, so we initially had an ADR at Tusker. However, after talking to Eddie about what rides were at which park and prioritizing those rides, he wanted to go to DHS first for TSM, ToT and RnR. But he still wants breakfast. This worked out fine - I HOPE! AK ended up changing their hours so the Tusker breakfast would have been after opening of park but DHS is still scheduled to open at 9a this day and we were able to get into Hollywood and Vine for breakfast at 8a. I hope it won't be nasty - not the best reviews on this place... BUT we will get to see some characters we don't normally ever see... actually I don't think we've EVER seen these characters so that should be fun.

SO we will hit TSM, ToT, RnR and anything else he'd like to fit in before 1ish at DHS. Then we will transfer over to AK - I hope it's not a lost cause... he really wants to ride EE, probably Dinosaur and he likes the safari. Again - we can spend the afternoon here, we don't have any other ADR's this day so we will definitely be in commando mode.

THEN we will go back to DHS, unless he changes his mind, to see the Osborne lights.

That's the plan... but again... only time will tell if we actually spend the day just like that!

 

[annmarieda]

First, for the teens. I just can't believe how close this is getting for everyone. Seems like it was only a short time ago that we had almost a year...

Second, I am so sorry for your family stuff. I know that this can be a challenge.

Last, your plans for 12/22 look fun filled. With the new predictions, I know things changed for me too. I hope you can get as much accomplished as you want to!

 

[Monknmom]

I guess I'm just in the mood to ramble tonight... really should be doing some cooking/baking... but I'll do that here in a little bit.

I'm just amazed at how quickly this year is going. I saw Ann's ticker say 16 more days... WOW! We've all had some crazy spots in our year and tonight I'm thankful that this board has been a source of 'release' and the friendships we've begun. If a day goes by and I haven't had time to check in with everyone, I find myself wanting to MAKE some time soon so I can check on everyone!

I finally got Mr. Nate's birthday nailed down... his birthday is a week from Saturday and if you will remember - our last birthday of the year before our trip. I can't believe my baby is going to be 9!! But we have rented the party room at the local YMCA and pool time so we are having a swim party in December! AND that means I can't pack the swimsuits just yet....

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels if you are on the road! We decided to stay at home rather than travel back out to Eddie's side of the family... he made the decision and when I finished up the work week, I literally had tears in my eyes for the simple fact that I could just 'go home' and not have to go anywhere or pack or carpool kids all over town. I'm thankful for that as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I agree with you about the PTR and making some really nice friends that were there for me to rant and rave more than any of my friends around me! And all of the tips and advice that I have learned from everyone has just been the cherry on top!!!

I'm a day late on my next update but I wanted to wait until I had officially hit

THE TEEN's!!!!

19 Days!!! 2 weeks, 6 days!!! 14 more work days!!!

I absolutely cannot believe it's so close! I'm going to start packing up over the next week because I have a feeling I'm going to have to fill in some gaps in regards to clothes. We are set on t-shirts but Nolan hit a tremendous growth spurt over the past couple of weeks - I knew it was coming but I'm not sure what shorts will fit him and his jeans are perfect for a flood... Good news is Nate just came into A LOT OF jeans so he should be set until spring!

I had shorts for Damien on the list to get from my shopping spree... and guess what? Reading this I just said to myself where are all of the shorts?!?!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving - I think... My oldest brother dropped a bomb on us that he's moving out of his home and filing for divorce on Monday. A few of you know the reasons behind this but in a nutshell, whether or not he actually follows through remains to be seen but all the wheels are in motion and my nieces and nephew are devastated. I haven't even covered this with my kids yet - they will be devastated as well - and won't understand. This is uncharted territory for us. Anyway - aside from that - we've had a good holiday weekend.

Christmas tree is up, house lights are up, all presents are wrapped (that I've purchased so far - still have a bit more to get), and I've got just over two weeks left of class.

Nate's birthday is a week from today! So I need to shift gears and focus on getting invitations out and his cake ordered! Definitely plenty to be done before we leave but I'm so excited and ready for Disney!!

Next update coming up!

I'm glad that you had a happy Thanksgiving! I hope that everything works out for your brother though!

We are planning on putting up all of the holiday decor tomorrow!

And the pool party in December sounds like fun! I am sure that he's going to be happy with it!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

I'm a day late on my next update but I wanted to wait until I had officially hit

THE TEEN's!!!!

19 Days!!! 2 weeks, 6 days!!! 14 more work days!!!

I absolutely cannot believe it's so close! I'm going to start packing up over the next week because I have a feeling I'm going to have to fill in some gaps in regards to clothes. We are set on t-shirts but Nolan hit a tremendous growth spurt over the past couple of weeks - I knew it was coming but I'm not sure what shorts will fit him and his jeans are perfect for a flood... Good news is Nate just came into A LOT OF jeans so he should be set until spring!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving - I think... My oldest brother dropped a bomb on us that he's moving out of his home and filing for divorce on Monday. A few of you know the reasons behind this but in a nutshell, whether or not he actually follows through remains to be seen but all the wheels are in motion and my nieces and nephew are devastated. I haven't even covered this with my kids yet - they will be devastated as well - and won't understand. This is uncharted territory for us. Anyway - aside from that - we've had a good holiday weekend.

Christmas tree is up, house lights are up, all presents are wrapped (that I've purchased so far - still have a bit more to get), and I've got just over two weeks left of class.

Nate's birthday is a week from today! So I need to shift gears and focus on getting invitations out and his cake ordered! Definitely plenty to be done before we leave but I'm so excited and ready for Disney!!

Next update coming up!

Yay! for being in the teens!

I'm sorry about the family troubles. I've been on the receiving end of a divorce for years. And had to watch my best friend in high school go through one when she was 11.

Tell Nate happy early birthday!

 

[shocky5]

First, for the teens. I just can't believe how close this is getting for everyone. Seems like it was only a short time ago that we had almost a year...

Second, I am so sorry for your family stuff. I know that this can be a challenge.

Last, your plans for 12/22 look fun filled. With the new predictions, I know things changed for me too. I hope you can get as much accomplished as you want to!

Thank you Ann! I don't know where this last year has gone... until I think about all we have all had to endure as well as be joyful about... and then I'm thankful we are at this point!

I still don't know what to do about CP ressie at MK... eating after park opens... but early enough ADR to get in park pre-open.... What did you decide?

I agree with you about the PTR and making some really nice friends that were there for me to rant and rave more than any of my friends around me! And all of the tips and advice that I have learned from everyone has just been the cherry on top!!!




I'm glad that you had a happy Thanksgiving! I hope that everything works out for your brother though!

We are planning on putting up all of the holiday decor tomorrow!

And the pool party in December sounds like fun! I am sure that he's going to be happy with it!

Thank you Heather! I'm seriously considering to begin the packing this week! I'm fearful I have gaps to fill.... I need to see it all in the suitcase with a list to the side saying "YOU STILL NEED THIS... "

 

[shocky5]

Yay! for being in the teens!

I'm sorry about the family troubles. I've been on the receiving end of a divorce for years. And had to watch my best friend in high school go through one when she was 11.

Tell Nate happy early birthday!

Thank you Ashley! Time will tell... tomorrow is the day he says he is moving out and what he told their kids... but yesterday they all spent the day together doing family stuff... so maybe?? I just want what is the least confusing and stable for their children... and for them to be at peace and happy... is there any such thing in divorce?

I will tell Nate! Thank you!

 

[shocky5]

Okay... I'm starting to stress... Anyone care to share their very best tips for traveling to Disney?

AND should I go ahead and purchase Eddie's park tickets now and get that out of the way??

AND should I cancel my CP ADR at MK since it's now after park opening secondary to hours changing?

 

[KatMark]

Okay... I'm starting to stress... Anyone care to share their very best tips for traveling to Disney?

AND should I go ahead and purchase Eddie's park tickets now and get that out of the way??

AND should I cancel my CP ADR at MK since it's now after park opening secondary to hours changing?

My advice: relax and enjoy. Sometimes I think we get too crazy with the plans and we don't simply enjoy the moment.

I would get Eddie's park tickets when you check in at the resort if you aren't going to the park immediately. Otherwise, get them ahead of itme and you won't have to worry about it.

I would NOT cancel CP. Go when the park opens, enjoy as many attractions as you can and then go and enjoy breakfast with my favorite characters.