The End is... NOWHERE in sight! - Sept/Oct 2016 PTR *Update 9/14*

[pkondz]

Well it is split between two jobs, so it doesn't seem quite as tedious as 60+ hours at one job... BUT that also means that I'm not getting paid overtime for my 20+ unfortunately.

Ouch. I don't know how you do it. Two jobs. Man, that's a lot of hours.

Lol it really eneded up not so bad. Nobody killed eachother lol

Always a plus!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Ouch. I don't know how you do it. Two jobs. Man, that's a lot of hours.

I like to think its because I'm young and vivacious. But, IDK if I qualify under either of those anymore so I'm pretty sure I'm just on auto-pilot for the time being lol

 

[afwdwfan]

The sad part is that the Disney Budget doesnt need the additional funds anymore lol I was ready to tell my 2nd job that I wanted to cut down to one day a week when we had a bunch of people quit, and one of our full time managers get hurt. So since I had the experience from being a seasonal manager I was asked to step in as a (part-time) Asst. Manager until she could return. And since I'm too nice to leave them hanging, I said yes... even though I really didn't want to lol

You know what... you're gonna want to go back to Disney World, right? Just take that extra income and put it where you won't touch it and you'll be that far ahead on the next trip.

 

[vrajewski10513]

You know what... you're gonna want to go back to Disney World, right? Just take that extra income and put it where you won't touch it and you'll be that far ahead on the next trip.

You betcha! Our current trip is paid off, but between buying a house and starting a family, hopefully sooner than later, we can fit in another one soon! Lol

 

[pkondz]

I like to think its because I'm young and vivacious.

I agree completely.

But, IDK if I qualify under either of those anymore

Of course you do!


I, on the other hand, do not.

I reallllly do not.

so I'm pretty

I agree completely.

I'm just on auto-pilot for the time being lol

Not a bad way to be with two jobs.

 

[vrajewski10513]

I agree completely.
Of course you do!
I, on the other hand, do not.
I reallllly do not.
I agree completely.
Not a bad way to be with two jobs.

Awe, you're making me blush!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Happy hump day everyone!


Anyways, not really too many new developments lately. I did place our grocery order today. It came to $265 for JUST the four of us in our room. Thats with a 10% discount, $2 delivery and a $20 tip. Its mainly just drinks, snacks and a couple breakfast items. Its probably much more than we could possibly need, but I'd rather have the snacks instead of buying things everytime were a little parched, or moderately hungry.

I did make a couple purchases for our trip that I'm rather excited about!

SO, I've been planning on buying a Vera Bradley cross body bag once I get down to Disney because I refuse to buy it online because I'm very anal about pattern placement on the Vera bags! Hopefully I;m able to find a good one when I get there. Here is the one I plan on getting:

Soooooo... since I've decided on that bag, I just had to have these as well...

I made the Magic band decal at magicyourband.com and I ordered the ears from a seller on Etsy! I'm gonna be all Vera decked out!

My husband recently informed me that he isn't dresing up for MNSSHP, so that kinda put the kabosh on our ninja turtles idea. So I decided that I would just wear my halloween shirt from 2013 and get a pair of halloween ears. I absolutely few in love with these ones!

I contacted the seller to see if she could possibly switch out the black bow for either a pink or green and she was super helpful and very quick to respond and said that would be no problem. I can't wait to see them!!!

I have 6 days until our fast pass window opens. I took a half day at work so I would be able to do that in the morning without having to worry about being to work on time. Hopefully it wont be too much of a headache.

I feel like this summer is flying by. I can't believe its the end of July already. I'm trying to enjoy the summer as much as I can, although I dont really get out too much to enjoy the sun. Luckily next week I have a couple days off to go up to my parents beach house and FINALLY get some sun. I hope my pale skin doesnt burst into flames on the beach!

Well, I hope you all are having a lovely summer!! I'll be back next week to update you guys on our fast pass situation!



​

 

[pkondz]

Its probably much more than we could possibly need, but I'd rather have the snacks instead of buying things everytime were a little parched, or moderately hungry.

Interesting.
For me, this wouldn't really work, since I'm practically never at the resort.

Soooooo... since I've decided on that bag, I just had to have these as well...

Perfect!

My husband recently informed me that he isn't dresing up for MNSSHP, so that kinda put the kabosh on our ninja turtles idea.

What?
Your DH sounds like my DW.
We should go together and the two stick-in-the-muds can stay at their resorts while we party.

I have 6 days until our fast pass window opens. I took a half day at work so I would be able to do that in the morning without having to worry about being to work on time. Hopefully it wont be too much of a headache.

Good luck! But if you don't get everything you wanted... relax. You're going to Disney!

I feel like this summer is flying by.

Oh, man! No kidding!
How could it possibly be the end of July already???

I hope my pale skin doesnt burst into flames on the beach!

This also sounds like my DW.
Her doctor took one look at her and said. "If you ever go out in the sun, you really need to put on sunscreen."

 

[DMGeurts]

Trying to catch up a little on PTRs this morning...

Ahhhh... I love your VB bag you've chosen... They've referred to that pattern as the "updated pattern" of Midnight with Mickey... It took me a long time to love that pattern, and I have a feeling I will need to see this one in person to decide whether I love it or not. LOL I am still a little salty that it's not available in the traditional hipster... That being said - I do have the triple zip hipster in another pattern, and I do really like it a lot. It's not as "intuitive" to me as the traditonal hipster, but I still think it's a great bag... And I do love that they are making it in a Disney print. I am very anxious to see it in person - and to see some reviews on it. I think it's a great choice! And I love all of your matching accessories to go with it - you will be the envy of Main Street!

I love your Halloween ears too! They are so cute! I am super excited to wear my halloween stuff this year too! I just love Halloween in Disney!

Woohoo for FPs opening soon! I have a while to go yet - since I can only do mine at 30 days... It will be OK though.

D~

 

[vrajewski10513]

Interesting.
For me, this wouldn't really work, since I'm practically never at the resort.

Well, neither are we really but I figure in the morning have a pop tart and coffee as I'm getting ready, grab a water and some fruit snacks on the way out the door and I should be good!

What?
Your DH sounds like my DW.
We should go together and the two stick-in-the-muds can stay at their resorts while we party.

ha! If only you were coming down to WDW a few weeks later!
My husband actually really likes the halloween party, hes just not as big into themes as I am lol

Good luck! But if you don't get everything you wanted... relax. You're going to Disney!

You got that right! Since our group went from the original 13 down to 8 (Connor doesn't need FP+) I offered to handle them all. IDK why I do this to myself

This also sounds like my DW.
Her doctor took one look at her and said. "If you ever go out in the sun, you really need to put on sunscreen."

I'm really not fair skinned at all. I get a pretty good tan fairly quickly (I contribute it to the .05% Native American I have in my blood ) I just really haven't been in the sun much at all this summer so my skin hasn't gotten the chance to roast lol I just hope jumping straight into laying on the beach doesn't come back to bite me!

Ahhhh... I love your VB bag you've chosen... They've referred to that pattern as the "updated pattern" of Midnight with Mickey... It took me a long time to love that pattern, and I have a feeling I will need to see this one in person to decide whether I love it or not. LOL I am still a little salty that it's not available in the traditional hipster... That being said - I do have the triple zip hipster in another pattern, and I do really like it a lot. It's not as "intuitive" to me as the traditonal hipster, but I still think it's a great bag... And I do love that they are making it in a Disney print. I am very anxious to see it in person - and to see some reviews on it. I think it's a great choice! And I love all of your matching accessories to go with it - you will be the envy of Main Street!

Thanks! The Midnight with Mickey pattern was my favorite of the last few years so I was bumed when they stopped making them. BUT, I am very pleased with this new pattern as a replacement! I agree with your traditional hipster vs. triple zip hipster argument completely. I've never had a triple zip before, mostly because every pattern I like came in the original hipster lol Hopefully I can deal, because I definitely need a hipster in this pattern! I'M still salty that VB doesn't make ANY of the patterns in the Little Hipster. I remember you saying you weren't familiar with that design so here it is:

I especially love it because the front pocket has credit card slots which is really convenient and its perfect for days when you just need to bring the essentials!

I love your Halloween ears too! They are so cute! I am super excited to wear my halloween stuff this year too! I just love Halloween in Disney!

Thank you! I'm just having a hard time now trying to figure out an outfit to go with it. I may just end up with my pink shorts and grey tank
I LOVE your halloween bag! I can't wait to see your whole outfit put together!

Woohoo for FPs opening soon! I have a while to go yet - since I can only do mine at 30 days... It will be OK though.

That really stinks. I think SoG should be included with the on-site hotels for FP+

 

[pkondz]

Well, neither are we really but I figure in the morning have a pop tart and coffee as I'm getting ready, grab a water and some fruit snacks on the way out the door and I should be good!

Good point. I brought muffins with me for Kay's morning eats.

ha! If only you were coming down to WDW a few weeks later!

My husband actually really likes the halloween party, hes just not as big into themes as I am lol

Ah. So, he would dress up? Just not the in a group theme?

You got that right! Since our group went from the original 13 down to 8 (Connor doesn't need FP+) I offered to handle them all. IDK why I do this to myself

I'm really not fair skinned at all. I get a pretty good tan fairly quickly (I contribute it to the .05% Native American I have in my blood ) I just really haven't been in the sun much at all this summer so my skin hasn't gotten the chance to roast lol I just hope jumping straight into laying on the beach doesn't come back to bite me!

Ruby goes from blinding white to blistering red... in a very short period of time.

 

[DMGeurts]

Thanks! The Midnight with Mickey pattern was my favorite of the last few years so I was bumed when they stopped making them. BUT, I am very pleased with this new pattern as a replacement! I agree with your traditional hipster vs. triple zip hipster argument completely. I've never had a triple zip before, mostly because every pattern I like came in the original hipster lol Hopefully I can deal, because I definitely need a hipster in this pattern! I'M still salty that VB doesn't make ANY of the patterns in the Little Hipster. I remember you saying you weren't familiar with that design so here it is:

I especially love it because the front pocket has credit card slots which is really convenient and its perfect for days when you just need to bring the essentials!

Thank you! I'm just having a hard time now trying to figure out an outfit to go with it. I may just end up with my pink shorts and grey tank
I LOVE your halloween bag! I can't wait to see your whole outfit put together!

That really stinks. I think SoG should be included with the on-site hotels for FP+

I do love the triple zip hipster, like I said... But it is LARGE - compared to the classic hipster... But not as large as some of the bags I carry in WDW (Donald and Minnie)... I dunno... I just carry the hipster all the time, and I don't even have to look to search in my bag for things - my hand just automatically knows where to go for them... So, when I flip over to my TZH - I have to be a little more conscious with what I am doing...

Oh yes, I've seen that one before... I've never carried it though. It's cute!

I find, when I am planning my outfits - my accessories are usually pretty bold, so I try to stay with solid colors - that helps me look a little more respectable. LOL

Yes - it would be nice if that was available for SoG guests, but I understand why it's not. It's all good - it gives me something to do. LOL

D~

 

[vrajewski10513]

Ah. So, he would dress up? Just not the in a group theme

As long as it's not too over the top. Id have better luck with Disney bounding with him as opposed to an actual costume

Ruby goes from blinding white to blistering red... in a very short period of time

Then I guess her name suits her well!

I do love the triple zip hipster, like I said... But it is LARGE - compared to the classic hipster... But not as large as some of the bags I carry in WDW (Donald and Minnie)... I dunno... I just carry the hipster all the time, and I don't even have to look to search in my bag for things - my hand just automatically knows where to go for them... So, when I flip over to my TZH - I have to be a little more conscious with what I am doing...

I was at the vet Bradley store the other day and did compare the two. I am definitely more used to the classic hipster, but I could probably make due with the triple sip... Even though I'm not crazy about the size, like you said, it is bigger than the classic.

I know exactly how you feel about just knowing where things are. I just switched over my wallet the other day, and even though I went to a smaller wallet it's harder for me to find things because I use the big one for so long!!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Fast pass selections are done!! I managed to get everything we needed for all 9 of us! Frozen Ever After was a little tricky so I had to move a couple things around. Surprisingly I had a bit of difficulty with 7DMT as well, but I was able to get it on another day.

I'll be back, probably tomorrow, to let you guys know what I was able to fit into our schedule. I work both jobs today so no time for that update today, unfortunately!

 

[pkondz]

Then I guess her name suits her well!

Fast pass selections are done!! I managed to get everything we needed for all 9 of us!

You did? Awesome!

I'll be back, probably tomorrow, to let you guys know what I was able to fit into our schedule. I work both jobs today so no time for that update today, unfortunately!

Standing by...

 

[afwdwfan]

I made the Magic band decal at magicyourband.com and I ordered the ears from a seller on Etsy! I'm gonna be all Vera decked out!

Holy crap... I can't let DW see that there's black market Vera stuff. We don't need any more!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Holy crap... I can't let DW see that there's black market Vera stuff. We don't need any more!

My husband felt the same way!!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Hey everyone!!

A little later than expected due to a very busy long weekend up at my parents cottage. I was hoping to get this update in before we left but i just got consumed by a million different things that had to be done with the house and dogs before we left.

SO, as I stated in my last post FP+ are all done!! I was able to get everything we wanted for all 9 of us. It took a little reconfiguring but we were able to get FEA and also 7DMT with little issue. Heres the breakdown of our plans! Remember, our first 3 nights are at Universal!

Day 1:
Depart airport at 8:05am, arrive at MCO at 10:40am
Take our private shuttle to Cabana Bay!
Get checked in and spend the rest of the day more than likely exploring both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
(This will be our only night to spend at the parks as one big group since the parks close early for HHN our other two nights)
We will more than likely eat lunch at the Three Broomsticks.
This is also the only night that we will be able to eat a table service meal all together at Universal. We haven't decided where yet, but getting reservations for sit-down meals is much more lax at Universal than at Disney!

Day 2:
Up and at-'em bright and early for early entry!
We will spend the whole day bouncing between IoA and USF.
We've had a coulpe requests to eat lunch at Fast Food Blvd so thats probably where we will end up for lunch on this day. (DH's been telling his dad about their Chicken & Waffle Sandwich, so he MUST try it)
At about 5pm our group of 9 will split up.
DFiL, DMiL, DBiL, DSiL and DNeph will more than likely have a relaxing pool night. Maybe grab some dinner at City Walk or another hotel.
Me, DH, DSis and her BF will head to Halloween Horror Nights! This is probably what we are all looking forward to the most about the whole trip.
HHN goes until about 1am. Hopefully we make it that late after the early morning. We may head back to the hotel after lunch for a break and nap

Day 3:
Not sure what time we will roll out of bed in the morning. Hopefully at a somewhat reasonable time as this is our last day to explore USO.
We're not completely set on where to eat lunch this day. A few of us are fond of Bubba Gump Shrimp, but not sure if we will want to go out to City Walk and waste time on a sit-down meal on our last day. If not, theres plenty of great counter service places to eat. I was toying with the idea of the Leaky Cauldron, but we don't have very adventurous eaters and I don't think they will find much appealing there.
At about 3-4pm we will head back to Cabana Bay and start getting our things together because our shuttle is scheduled to pick us up at 8am tomorrow morning to take us over to POFQ.
After that we will be heading to MNSSHP!! (As I've said in previous posts, we decided to do MNSSHP this night because USO would be closing early due to HHN anyway, so nothing lost there.)
The same shuttle driver that picked us up from the airport will take us over to MNSSHP.
I didn't schedule a return trip with him because I figured since DBiL and DSil have my nephew, they may want to leave earlier than we plan to. SO everyone is on their own to get back to Cabana Bay either by Taxi or Uber.

Day 4:
The alarm will be set for VERY early this morning. We need to get up, get ready and get the last of our things packed and down in the lobby to meet our shuttle van by 8am!
The van will take us over to or home for the next 7 nights- POFQ!
Our rooms probably won't be ready so early in the morning so we will probably be dropping our bags with Bell Service, grabbing some lunch and heading out to the park!
Our first stop will be HS. We have FP+ scheduled for:
Star Tours
Tower of Terror (ME, DH, DSis, her BF, DBil, and DFil)
Disney Junior Live (DSiL, DMiL and DNeph)
Toy Story Mania
We will leave HS around 4pm and head over to AKL for our dining reservation at Boma.
After dinner we will head over to AK to enjoy some of their new night time attractions. (Hopefully RoL is up and running by then!)

Day 5:
Another very early morning. We have to be up and ready to get to the GF for our 8am reservation at 1900 Park Fare (this is my favorite breakfast at Disney!)
After breakfast we will head straight to MK. We have FP+ for:
Splash Mountain
Pirate of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
We will fit lunch in somewhere at MK.
We will head out back to POFQ after the 3pm parade for some relaxing/pool time.
At around 5pm we will head out to Epcot where we will spend the night perusing/eating/drinking at the F&W Festival!
We may venture out to check out Future World, but our main focus will be World Showcase and the F&W Festival.
Two things definitely on the list are Eat to the Beat (David Cook) and Illuminations.

Day 6:
I have EMH at AK scheduled for this morning, but we will see when we get everyone up and moving.
The FP+ we have set for this day are:
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids
We will head out of the park and over to the Boardwalk for a late lunch at Big River Grill & Brewery
After lunch we will head back to the hotel. I scheduled this night as our "Free night" for everyone to do whatever they feel like doing.. sitting by the pool, relaxing in the room, checking our another park or Disney springs etc..
we are scheduled for an 8:30pm dinner at Hoop Dee Doo Revue

Day 7:
Once everyone is ready we will head to Epcot.
Our FP+ for this day are:
Test Track (this was supposed to be FEA, but I couldn't get anything on this day!)
Mission: SPACE
Spaceship Earth
We will have lunch at Via Napoli (mmMMMMMmm Proscuitto e Melone Pizza!!)
We will head back to the hotel for an early afternoon break, before heading out for our DInner reservation at STK Orlando.
After dinner we will head to HS.
Since they had to cancel our Halloween Dine reservation on 10/6 they gave us 3 free fastpasses to try and make up for it so we have a fastpass already set for Fantasmic! and two other fastpasses that can be used on anything we want, whenever we want.
Our plan was to see the Star Wars Fireworks this night before F!, but looking at the times I dont know if that will be possible. Maybe since we have FP+ for Fantasmic we could watch the fireworks then rush over to F!, but that may be cutting it a little close.

Day 8:
We get to sleep in a little this day.
The plan is to be up and at Blizzard Beach by 9:30am (the time we need to check in to pick out our Polar Patio)
We will hang here for the day, and have lunch here as well.
When the park closes we will go relax at the hotel for a little while before we head over to the Poly for our dinner reservation at Ohana.
(My sister is tentatively trying to hop over to Epcot real quick to see the Blues Travelers at Eat to the Beat after dinner before we head to MK for the night. We will see how we end up doing on time)
After dinner we will head over to MK for late EMH.
We have FP+ scheduled for:
The Little Mermaid
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Pirates of the Caribbean
We will catch Wishes and the Electrical Parade then stay as late as we can at MK!

Day 9:
This will be an easy morning as well.
We will get up and get to Disney Springs around 10am.
We will shop for a little until our lunch reservation at T-Rex.
Then shop a little more before heading back to the hotel for a break.
Once re-energized we will head out to AK.
Once again we have FP+ for:
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
I tried to get the latest possible FP for the Safari to make sure its dark out!
After our last fastpass we will hop a bus to the Beach Club for some Ice Cream at Beaches & Cream.
I'm not sure how we will get back to our hotel after this.. I'm hoping that buses from Epcot will be running late enough that we can hop on one there back to POFQ. Another idea I had would be to take a bus down to Disney Springs then hop on another bus or take the boat back to POFQ. I guess we will have to wait and see!

Day 10:
Up early for our breakfast reservation at Kona Cafe.
After breakfast we will head over to HS.
We will have a QS lunch there and just enjoy the rides and shows.
We will take an afternoon break then head over to Epcot for the night.
Our FP+ for this night are:
Frozen Ever After
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Epcot Character Spot
We have dinner scheduled at Coral Reef.
After dinner we will head over to World Showcase to see the Plain White T's at Eat to the Beat and grab some dessert somewhere.
We may stay for Illuminations again, or head back to the hotel early to start packing

Day 11: OUR LAST DAY!
IDK where else you would want to spend your lat day at Disney besides at the Magic Kingdom, so thats where we will be!
We will drop all of our luggage with Bell Service before we leave.
We're going to try really hard to be at MK early enough to catch the Welcome Show.
We have FP+ for:
Talking Mickey at Town Square
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Splash Mountain
We have lunch scheduled at Be Our Guest
We will enjoy MK for one last time before we head back to POFQ to catch the Tragical Express around 3:45pm.
We leave MCO at 6:45pm and will get back home around 9:20pm.


And thats all she wrote, folks!
Suggestions for changes are all welcome.
Just keep in mind that its almost impossible to change dining reservations or FP+ for 9 people at this point.

 

[pkondz]

I was hoping to get this update in before we left but i just got consumed

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by a million different things that had to be done with the house and dogs before we left.

Oh. <phew> Thank goodness.

we were able to get FEA

It took a looooong time before I realized what FEA stood for.

Our first stop will be HS. We have FP+ scheduled for:
Star Tours
Tower of Terror (ME, DH, DSis, her BF, DBil, and DFil)
Disney Junior Live (DSiL, DMiL and DNeph)
Toy Story Mania

And again... "Wait... that's four FPs! Have the rules changed? It's still three, right? Right?"

We will leave HS around 4pm and head over to AKL for our dining reservation at Boma.

Mmmmmmm...... Zeeeebbrrraaa dommmmeeesssss..... Yesssssssssssss.....

(And I can't believe that I won't have the time to have any, this trip.)

We have to be up and ready to get to the GF for our 8am reservation at 1900 Park Fare (this is my favorite breakfast at Disney!)

I'd love to try this some day.


Some day.

we are scheduled for an 8:30pm dinner at Hoop Dee Doo Revue

Also on my to do list.
Not this time, though.

Since they had to cancel our Halloween Dine reservation on 10/6 they gave us 3 free fastpasses to try and make up for it so we have a fastpass already set for Fantasmic! and two other fastpasses that can be used on anything we want, whenever we want.

Nice perk!

 

[afwdwfan]

Plans look great! Just one thing stuck out a little bit to me.

We will head out back to POFQ after the 3pm parade for some relaxing/pool time.
At around 5pm we will head out to Epcot where we will spend the night perusing/eating/drinking at the F&W Festival!

I doubt there will be much relaxing/pool time. Seriously, by the time the parade is over it will be maybe 3:15 if you watch from where it steps off. Then lets say 10 min walking to the bus stop, a generous 10 minute wait for the bus, 15 minute drive. Basically, you'll be closing in on 4 by the time you get back to POFQ. Either might not be worth taking a break or you might just want to plan to leave later and take a your time.

It took a looooong time before I realized what FEA stood for.