The Fratt house Takes on the World! - Sept 2012 PTR

[Fratthouse]

So I would like to start by apologizing for the disaster that was last night’s trip report. It was really late, and I think I may have been a little delirious. But I really have no excuses – it was pretty terrible. I mean, blasph-mouse???? Yikes. And we’re not even going to talk about my lame attempt at poetry. I’m an accountant. I have no business dabbling in poetry. Obviously. So please forgive me and don’t abandon this trip report. I promise that from this point forward, I vow to take a more serious approach to this trip planning stuff. No more goofy, weird, punny, poetic nonsense. Just the facts, folks. The cold, hard facts.

Probably.

So now that that’s out of the way, we will resume this edition of “The Fratt House takes on the World.” We last left off with ……hmmmm…..where did we leave off?

You didn’t know what was next.

That’s right - I didn’t know what was next. Well for starters, I’ve been doing my research on PTR writing by scoping out some of the other pre-trip reports, and I made an important discovery. The other reports involve….PICTURES! And not just pics of DW. Nope – they’ve got pictures of Disney purchases, pictures of things going on in their lives, and sometimes just some random pictures that I really can’t figure out what they are or why they are in the PTR. But I think it’s a sign that PTR readers like pictures. So again, in my effort to evolve into a master PTR writer, I give you – PICTURES!

First, I tried to find some pictures of our previous trips to DW. But guess what? We didn’t take any. Well, ok, there were a couple of pictures of the castle from our balcony at the Contemporary, but they were really foggy and didn’t capture the essence of it at all. And then there were a whole bunch of Night of Joy, but not really ones you’d be interested in seeing. They were mostly of DH with the Disney execs. So I struck out there. For the life of me I don’t know why we didn’t take any pictures of our trips to Disney World. I guess we were just too busy having fun to stop and take pictures of anything? Oh well. Let’s move on.

Instead, I will post these pictures that we had done a couple of weeks ago for DS’s first birthday. It’s just us….nothing too exciting

Up next: The schedule!

 

[TexasBelle]

Oh your pictures are fabulous!!!! Such an adorable family!!!

Now I'm not the one to know anything about this but I have read something about it... But there is a Baby swap line... Or a child swap line... Or something of that sort. Where you can ride the ride and then your husband can ride the ride and you are able to wait for each other... Again. I'm not an expert on it... As a matter of fact I know very little about it... My kids are 24, 21, and 18.... But you might post a question on it...

I was laughing and laughing at you cancelling your dining reservations and then trying to get new ones...

for Le Cellier... love it... It's always on my list!!!!
for Ohana's... Love it tooooooo....
for Sci Fi... not my favorite... I love 50's Prime Time... but for me it's really difficult to come up with somewhere to eat in DHS...

I'm so excited for Poly!!! One day I will stay there plus Contempory...

My favorite is Beach Club... Love everything about it... I love the sand bottom pool... Walking to Epcot and DHS... The rooms... The lobby... The grounds... The EVERYTHING!!!! So it's hard for me to stay somewhere else... But one day I might adventure out of my box...

On a side note... I took my princess (baby girl) off to College yesterday... I'm so sad... She's my baby... I have 2 other children, boys... older... But she's my baby, but she's only 3 miles from my house... Haha Not to far...

Looking forward to more rambling...

TexasBelle
Carolyn

 

[shalom]

I am definitely going to give some of these a try.

Good luck! So far I've liked everything I expected to, and didn't like the stuff I figured would be too decadent for me. Although Disney recipes can be a pain to work with -- did the Root Beer Sweet Potatoes the other night, and the recipe gives you no clue on how many sweet potatoes you should prepare. Although at least it mentions you need sweet potatoes in the ingredients list -- another recipe I made, at halfway through says, "now assemble it thusly," but until then there's no mention of one of the layers you're supposed to have made earlier.

But even the recipes where I had to track down another recipe for one component have turned out pretty well.

And we’re not even going to talk about my lame attempt at poetry.

Still like the poem. It scanned and it was cheerful and upbeat.

For the life of me I don’t know why we didn’t take any pictures of our trips to Disney World. I guess we were just too busy having fun to stop and take pictures of anything?

I have discovered the hard way that taking pics with little ones along is a hazardous undertaking, especially if you're someone who gets a bit hyperfocused. "I'm just going to take a quick shot of this." CLICK CLICK CLICK Lower camera. Look around. "... Hey, where did my kid go?" Locate child, who of course made a beeline for some form of disaster as soon as you were distracted. Race after child. Corral child. See something else interesting. Look at child. Look at camera. Put camera away. Tell hubby to take a shot of that, while you keep the kid busy.

After the first time we went to Orlando, I was looking through the pictures and wishing I had shots of this or that, and it finally dawned on me that the kids are old enough I can start taking photos again! The second time we went to Orlando, I loaned my camera to second son. I'm hoping the third time will be the charm!

 

[CatNipRules]

You have an amazing family! You guys are wonderful.


i for one loved your last update. LOL! Of course it probably didn't help that I was up early this morning. DS started school this week and 5 am mornings aren't good for brain health. LOL!!

We did Sci-Fi once. I wasn't impressed with the food, but it was good for what it was worth.

I honestly think that you are going to be able to get in everything that you want to do. The time of year that you are going is perfect. Not too hot and not too crowded.

Gary Senise is just awesome and make me . LOL!!

I love reading your updates. They are wonderful. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Fratthouse]

Oh your pictures are fabulous!!!! Such an adorable family!!!
Thanks, Carolyn! I think they're keepers


I was laughing and laughing at you cancelling your dining reservations and then trying to get new ones...
Not really one of my better moments, but what's a PTR without a little drama

for Le Cellier... love it... It's always on my list!!!!
for Ohana's... Love it tooooooo....
for Sci Fi... not my favorite... I love 50's Prime Time... but for me it's really difficult to come up with somewhere to eat in DHS...I agree! There's just no where that I am feeling excited about trying here. Thinking more and more of just heading over to Epcot. There's lots of places I want to try there!

I'm so excited for Poly!!! One day I will stay there plus Contempory...

My favorite is Beach Club... Love everything about it... I love the sand bottom pool... Walking to Epcot and DHS... The rooms... The lobby... The grounds... The EVERYTHING!!!! So it's hard for me to stay somewhere else... But one day I might adventure out of my box...I've heard so many good things about BC. It;s definitely up there on my list. We did love the contemporary, and but I don't have that feeling of loving it so much I couldn't bear to stay anywhere else. There's something to be said for staying somewhere you know you will love!

On a side note... I took my princess (baby girl) off to College yesterday... I'm so sad... She's my baby... I have 2 other children, boys... older... But she's my baby, but she's only 3 miles from my house... Haha Not to far... Wow! That's a big deal! Congrats on your new independence - but glad she'll still be close by I think I saw in your TR that she was looking at schools in Florida -does that mean ya'll moved to Orlando?

Looking forward to more rambling... LOL - thanks for joining in. This PTR has turned into pure ridiculousness, but everyone needs a good dose of that once in a while, right?

TexasBelle
Carolyn

 

[TexasBelle]

Do this mean you moved to Orlando?

To answer your question...

No

Rae - that's my DD - After we spent spring break in Disney she decided that she wanted to wait for a couple of years before we move there... so we stayed in our home town and she went to college about 3 miles from our house.. Although I haven't seen her since she moved in. She's been busy with NSO - New Student Orientation!!! She's having so much fun. It's a small Baptist University.

Your trip's getting closer...
TexasBelle

 

[Fratthouse]

You have an amazing family! You guys are wonderful.


i for one loved your last update. LOL! Of course it probably didn't help that I was up early this morning. DS started school this week and 5 am mornings aren't good for brain health. LOL!!

We did Sci-Fi once. I wasn't impressed with the food, but it was good for what it was worth.

I honestly think that you are going to be able to get in everything that you want to do. The time of year that you are going is perfect. Not too hot and not too crowded.

Gary Senise is just awesome and make me . LOL!!

I love reading your updates. They are wonderful. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks, Michelle! So glad you are enjoying my random ramblings I'm having a good time writing this PTR - and feel like it's been a life-savor in terms of getting organized in such a short time frame!

I have reworked some of my ADR's and have taken Sci-Fi off the list. There are just too many awesome places to eat in WDW that I don't want to have to settle on something that's just ok!

Thanks again for reading along. Our trips are getting closer.....

 

[Fratthouse]

I have discovered the hard way that taking pics with little ones along is a hazardous undertaking, especially if you're someone who gets a bit hyperfocused. "I'm just going to take a quick shot of this." CLICK CLICK CLICK Lower camera. Look around. "... Hey, where did my kid go?" Locate child, who of course made a beeline for some form of disaster as soon as you were distracted. Race after child. Corral child. See something else interesting. Look at child. Look at camera. Put camera away. Tell hubby to take a shot of that, while you keep the kid busy.

After the first time we went to Orlando, I was looking through the pictures and wishing I had shots of this or that, and it finally dawned on me that the kids are old enough I can start taking photos again! The second time we went to Orlando, I loaned my camera to second son. I'm hoping the third time will be the charm!

LOL! Here's hoping DS doesn't figure out how to walk in the next two weeks!! They're so much easier to contain until they get to that point! Good luck with pics on your next trip!

 

[Fratthouse]

Do this mean you moved to Orlando?

To answer your question...

No

Rae - that's my DD - After we spent spring break in Disney she decided that she wanted to wait for a couple of years before we move there... so we stayed in our home town and she went to college about 3 miles from our house.. Although I haven't seen her since she moved in. She's been busy with NSO - New Student Orientation!!! She's having so much fun. It's a small Baptist University.

Your trip's getting closer...
TexasBelle

Glad to hear she's having fun getting settled into college I went to school in the same town as my parents in Missouri, and as much as I loved living on campus, it was wonderful to have a place to escape to sometimes, as well. Not to mention being able to get a home-cooked meal and a break from the cafeteria! It's the best of both worlds! It made moving to TN when I got married a lot harder, though!!

 

[Fratthouse]

Welcome back, friends! This little PTR of mine is quickly coming to a close.

Quickly? What part of this PTR has been done quickly??? We could’ve read the entire Harry Potter series faster than we can get through this thing!

Ok, let’s start over. Hello, friends! This long, drawn out PTR of mine is slowly coming to a close. We’ve talked resorts, we’ve talked ADR’s, we’ve talked must-do’s. So now we’ll take a quick …..i mean, uh…., thorough look at the schedule for the week. Here we go!

Wednesday, September 5:

Our flight arrives at 3:30. We’ll take the Magical Express to the Poly, get checked in and get settled until dinner. If we’ve got enough time, we may even try to make DS take a nap so he’s not totally cranky later this evening.

We have reservations at Kona at 5:30. After that, we’ll immediately head to the MK to accomplish the #1 must-do for this trip: Wishes.
I’m hoping we’ll arrive at the park around 7, but if it’s later than that, it’s ok. I tend to create these artificial timelines in my head (We need to be at this place by this time, to do this by this time, to get to this place by this time) and then I stress out the whole vacation worrying about if we’re going to meet the next “deadline”. It’s fine to do that sometimes (eg if you have a dining reservation), but sometimes you just need to enjoy the moment, you know? For example, last year I decided in my mind that we needed to make it to HS by 1:00 pm on the first day of our vacation. Our flight left at 8 am, arrived at 11, then we had to take the ME ride, check in, drop our stuff off in our room, and take the bus to HS. From the time the plane left the ground, I was constantly checking my phone to see what time it was and if we were “on schedule”. It got worse when we were on the ME, and I about lost it when they stopped at three other resorts before taking us to the contemporary. It was bad, ya’ll. I about got up and carried some poor old lady off the bus because she was taking too long to exit on her own. Basically, I couldn’t just sit back and enjoy any of the experience of travelling to WDW or seeing our resort for the first time because I was obsessed with getting to HS by 1pm. And there wasn’t even anything that I wanted to really do at HS – certainly nothing that couldn’t have been done if I arrived at 1:15 or 1:30! I’m weird, I guess. It’s probably some bizarre mental disorder – obsessive arrival-time anxiety or delayed arrival paranoia or something. Anyways, I’m going to work on that this trip. Carpe Diem, yo!

Remember what we said about ebonics?

Oh, right. Sorry. Carpe Diem, amigos!

Once we arrive at MK, we’ll do any of the following attractions that don’t have a line. This is one of the few times I know that DH will be able to be with us, so I want to only do attractions that all three of us can ride together (no rider swap) to start the trip. We can hit the other ones later in the week.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Jungle Cruise

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

People Mover

Haunted Mansion

Railroad (I think it might be fun to see MK at night on our first night at WDW)

Any fantasy land attractions


Then we’ll grab a dole whip and find a spot to watch wishes. I don’t think we’ll get in place too early – it’s a pretty slow time of year. We’ll probably just wander around until it’s about to start and then plop down somewhere.

What I’m most looking forward to:

1 - Going to the MK on our first day! We’ve never done this before and I think it is the perfect way to kick off the trip. While the other parks each have their own wonderful-ness, the MK is has a magic all its own, and really just sets the tone for the rest of the vacation!

2 - I’m also dying to see Wishes. It’s the last of the evening shows that I have yet to see, and I just can’t wait to experience it with my precious little family

3 - I absolutely cannot wait to see how DS reacts to Disney. I know he’s only 1, so he’s not going to understand it all. But he loves people watching and taking in new environments, so I know he is going to be in heaven inside the park. I just hope he’s able to rest on the plane / bus ride so that he’s not exhausted and cranky at this point….

4 - Trying Dole Whip. It better live up to all the hype, ya’ll.

5- Checking into the Poly and seeing our room. Right now we are set to have a lagoon view (hoping that maybe, just maybe, we get upgraded to a theme park view? Not a big deal either way – it will still be a great spot!) and I’m so excited to see the room and the rest of the resort!

There are so many fabulous things to look forward to on the first day of WDW! Only 13 days to go – I can’t wait!!

 

[CatNipRules]

I know that your DS will enjoy the park. I'm still amazed at the things that my son can remember from his first visit. LOL!

I need to try a Dole Whip on our next visit.

Would love to stay at the Poly, but can't get DH to go for it. I'm lucky that he goes for staying onsite. LOL!!

 

[Reberella]

Thanks so much for joining in! We're pretty excited for our stay at the Poly, but think we want to try the Beach Club next time. There are just so many good places to stay at WDW! We are planning on taking some time this trip to at least go over to the Epcot resort area and have a look around the resorts. My DH (who hates talking Disney and has no opinions about anything) specifically requested that we check out these hotels. So it is definitely a must-do for this trip

It definitely is! I absolutely LOVE the Epcot resorts, especially Beach Club and Boardwalk! Boardwalk is especially fun at night, because of all the performers, but both are stunning! I hope you'll get the chance to try one!

 

[shalom]

It’s probably some bizarre mental disorder – obsessive arrival-time anxiety or delayed arrival paranoia or something.

I call that "afraid to miss something general craziness." You write the schedule in hopes of maximizing your fun, therefore if you fall of the schedule, your scheduling brain is just sure you must be missing out on potential fun that had your name on it, only you blew it. Scheduling brains -- or at least a fair percentage of them -- are totally convinced that, not only are they the Four Star General In Charge, they are the only ones who can keep the world from spinning off into chaos.

Tell your scheduling brain you appreciate the work it did, but first off this is a voluntary mission to a theme park, not a war you need to win, and secondly even the military lets the guy on the scene adjust the plan according to conditions. And if you've got one of the Four Star brains, be stern, because Four Star General-type scheduling brains and a baby are never a good mix!

Then we’ll grab a dole whip and find a spot to watch wishes.

I recommend you get your Dole whip straight up, rather than with the pineapple juice -- less mess if your little one makes a grab for it.

Such a cutie! You are going to have the best time, seeing the wonder on his face. Or, wait, how is he with loud noises? Well, even if Wishes turns out not to be his thing, Disney is full of magic and you're going to be making great memories.

 

[Fratthouse]

I know that your DS will enjoy the park. I'm still amazed at the things that my son can remember from his first visit. LOL!

I need to try a Dole Whip on our next visit.

Would love to stay at the Poly, but can't get DH to go for it. I'm lucky that he goes for staying onsite. LOL!!

I can't even tell you how excited I am to have DS with us. Even though it means a little extra work, not riding some of my favorite rides, and longer breaks throughout the day, I know watching him experience it all will more than offset all the little inconveniences! It's probably what I'm looking forward to the very most

I'll report back on the Dole Whip and the Poly. I hear ya' on the DH dilemma - I could barely get my husband to let us take a trip longer than just two days for NOJ!!!

 

[Fratthouse]

It definitely is! I absolutely LOVE the Epcot resorts, especially Beach Club and Boardwalk! Boardwalk is especially fun at night, because of all the performers, but both are stunning! I hope you'll get the chance to try one!

Thanks - we'll definitely try to work in a little trip to the Boardwalk area one of the evenings we are there. Thanks for the tip!!

 

[Fratthouse]

I call that "afraid to miss something general craziness." LOL - I love it. We'll call it ATMSGC syndrome

You write the schedule in hopes of maximizing your fun, therefore if you fall of the schedule, your scheduling brain is just sure you must be missing out on potential fun that had your name on it, only you blew it. Scheduling brains -- or at least a fair percentage of them -- are totally convinced that, not only are they the Four Star General In Charge, they are the only ones who can keep the world from spinning off into chaos. Sounds like you can maybe relate???

Tell your scheduling brain you appreciate the work it did, but first off this is a voluntary mission to a theme park, not a war you need to win, and secondly even the military lets the guy on the scene adjust the plan according to conditions. And if you've got one of the Four Star brains, be stern, because Four Star General-type scheduling brains and a baby are never a good mix! Good advice - writing this down on the FRONT of my trip planning journal - "Four Star General brains and baby are never a good mix!"



I recommend you get your Dole whip straight up, rather than with the pineapple juice -- less mess if your little one makes a grab for it. LOL - that's never a good way to end a first day at the park - covered in pineapple juice We'll see if I can convince DH to let DS sample it!

Such a cutie! You are going to have the best time, seeing the wonder on his face. Or, wait, how is he with loud noises? Well, even if Wishes turns out not to be his thing, Disney is full of magic and you're going to be making great memories. Thanks! He's pretty good with noise, I think. We took him to a fireworks show on the 4th of July and he seemed intrigued We'll hope for the best. If not, we'll try to do it later in the week from the beach at the Poly. Good to have a backup plan, i guess

 

[shalom]

Sounds like you can maybe relate???

It's possible my schedule for my first Disney park visit was broken down into fifteen minute increments.

If he could handle a fourth of July show, you're probably good to go. The fireworks that really set babies off, seems to me, are the ones that are just a flash of white light and a big BOOM! -- which I am not a fan of myself. As I recall, Wishes is more about the pretty colors and shapes, which babies and I appreciate much more.

 

[lurkernj]

Your son is so cute!!

I do the same thing with the schedule. I have a spreadsheet with each item listed in the order I would probably do it, and I estimate about how long it will take so that I can make xxx show at xxx time. I dont' really stick to it, it just lets me know if I think I'll have enough time to do the things I really want to do, or if I need to skip some stuff.

As for the Dole whip, I have tried them twice and I just can't say I love them. I love pineapple, so I should love them, but I don't. I get the rootbeer with vanilla ice cream and DH gets the dole whip float. I'll probably get banned from the Disboards for saying this.

 

[shalom]

As for the Dole whip, I have tried them twice and I just can't say I love them. I love pineapple, so I should love them, but I don't.

My first bite of Dole Whip, it just tasted bizarre, like this weird conglomeration of chemicals that didn't relate to anything I'd ever had before. It was like my brain was trying to puzzle out what the heck it was supposed to be. But it was cool and sweet and liquid, plus I'd paid for it, so I kept spooning it up, then after a couple of bites it suddenly tasted like pineapple and has tasted like pineapple to me since then, without that "what the heck?" tasting-brain bewilderment on the first bite.

To be honest, although I like Dole Whip alright, I prefer a "tastes like" recipe I picked up somewhere, which is essentially frozen crushed pineapple and whipping cream. One of those rare cases where the clone version is less healthy than the Disney original! However, the Disney original is smoother.

 

[Fratthouse]

It's possible my schedule for my first Disney park visit was broken down into fifteen minute increments. LOL! I hope you kept a copy of that schedule to remember all the details of that trip!!! I'm walking a fine line between having things planned so we maximize the time we have, but not being attached to the plans in case DS has other ideas. I don't want to be frustrated that we're not accomplishing everything I'd hoped - or worse, frustrated with DS for not keeping up with my plan! So, you know, pause, deep breath, and try to remember the bigger picture

If he could handle a fourth of July show, you're probably good to go. The fireworks that really set babies off, seems to me, are the ones that are just a flash of white light and a big BOOM! -- which I am not a fan of myself. As I recall, Wishes is more about the pretty colors and shapes, which babies and I appreciate much more.