This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest for fun. An Oct 2013 PTR! Updated 10/5!

[cfw213]

Happy 4th of July DISsers! I have been away in the Adirondacks this weekend and I'm finally getting caught up on all my Dis stuff! I have three updates to share with you this week and then I'll do an actual PTR post:

1 - My dad is no longer coming with us on the trip He has a work convention the Sunday/Monday of our trip so he won't be able to make it, he will have to go to NYC instead. It's a bummer, but it might work out for the best anyway! I'm not sure my dad is the all-day commando type and I could see us arguing.

2 - We decided not to try for VGF. We had been checking in the days leading up to our booking window and there was only availability for about 30 seconds after 8am! We would have to cancel our AKV reservation and hope that we would get it, and we just weren't willing to take the risk! Like I said before, we are more than happy to stay at AKV, since we only spent two nights there last time and loved it.

3 - We have figured out our MNSSHP costumes!! They are a duo from a Pixar movie! We are shopping for supplies to DIY them now, and I'll share them with you as we make them!

 

[PetersLittleFairy]

Can't wait to hear more ! This report sound like it will be really fun! Sorry to hear your dad couldn't come

 

[Denovagirl]

Joining in! Love what you have so far...I think I will pop over to check out your TR now

 

[Denovagirl]

I'm going to steal the ADR guessing game from Katt's PTR because I think it's so much fun! I will post our daily plans on Sunday mornings, so by Saturday evening, everyone can guess where our ADR(s), if there are any, are going to be for that day! Here are some clues!

- We have SEVEN ADR's in total. TWO of them are signature experiences.
- We have been to THREE of them before, so FOUR of them are new.
- THREE of them are at resorts; ONE is at Magic Kingdom, TWO are at Epcot and ONE is at Hollywood Studios

For our first day we have one ADR. It is at a resort and we have been there before....hopefully that doesn't make it too easy!

ETA: Bonus point to this first person who can guess what movie my report title is from. No cheating!!

Okay my guesses for you ADRs....

Chef Mickey, because you mentioned in your last TR that you would like to try other breakfast buffets.

Kona, maybe for breakfast since you like the dinner well enough?

Cape May, because its at the Beach Club

Be Our Guest, because it looks amazing and is new!

Le Cellier, because you loved it the first time!

Brown Derby, a Signature dining in HS!

annnnnnd Chefs de France, because you seemed to enjoy it a lot as well...

EEE! Can't wait to hear what they are!

 

[glaserjm]

Sorry you're dad isn't able to come, but if it will save you from an argument it's probably for the best!

I think VGF is such a hot commodity right now that you're probably better off just staying with AKL since you know you love it and wait until the hype has worn off for VGF.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hope you had a good weekend in the Adirondacks!

It's sad that your dad won't be able to come but avoiding an argument is always good.

Probably a good call on not giving up AKV to try for VGF. AKV looks amazing and I'm sure you'll love it.

Can't wait to hear about the MNSSHP costumes!

 

[cfw213]

Can't wait to hear more ! This report sound like it will be really fun! Sorry to hear your dad couldn't come

Thanks for following!

Joining in! Love what you have so far...I think I will pop over to check out your TR now

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my TR

Okay my guesses for you ADRs....

Chef Mickey, because you mentioned in your last TR that you would like to try other breakfast buffets.

Kona, maybe for breakfast since you like the dinner well enough?

Cape May, because its at the Beach Club

Be Our Guest, because it looks amazing and is new!

Le Cellier, because you loved it the first time!

Brown Derby, a Signature dining in HS!

annnnnnd Chefs de France, because you seemed to enjoy it a lot as well...

EEE! Can't wait to hear what they are!

Good guesses - you got three right!!

Sorry you're dad isn't able to come, but if it will save you from an argument it's probably for the best!

I think VGF is such a hot commodity right now that you're probably better off just staying with AKL since you know you love it and wait until the hype has worn off for VGF.

Haha yeah we tend to be an argumentative family on a good day! I was excited to show him around though - he hasn't been since before AK was built!

Hope you had a good weekend in the Adirondacks!

It's sad that your dad won't be able to come but avoiding an argument is always good.

Probably a good call on not giving up AKV to try for VGF. AKV looks amazing and I'm sure you'll love it.

Can't wait to hear about the MNSSHP costumes!

Thanks we had a great time! We LOVED AKV last time and we're excited to stay there again...I'll let the newness wear off of GFV!

 

[cfw213]

Hello all! It's been a crazy busy week again and I fully intended on getting up day 1 plans and it just didn't happen

BUT I do have some good stuff to share. Here is a sneak peek for our MNSSHP costumes - any guesses as to what they might be???





We are still waiting on a couple "pieces" to our costume before we can start crafting but this is a start!

We also went a little crazy on a Disney shopping spree this week. Old Navy released a Mickey Mouse collection (I think it was called "Mickey through the years" or something), and we got some shirts! Each of these shirts were less than $15 each AND we had a coupon for 30% off and free shipping! I think for 5 shirts it was like $48 or something - such a steal!

I got...
This white v-neck


This blue v-neck -


and this blue tank top-


Jess also got the blue tank above and Pluto!


I can't wait for them to come! Also, this purchase wasn't this week but I just remembered - Target has the BEST Disney shirts, and they're always so cheap. I picked up this one a few weeks ago! They also had a really cute Lion King shirt but they only had larges left

So now I have WAY too many Disney shirts. I'm sure I'll acquire more before October.

My last purchase of this week:



Toy Story Mania on Wii!!! I picked it up this afternoon at GameStop. Gotta improve my skillz so I can win in October!

I will definitely have up day 1 plans this weekend, maybe even tonight. Now I have to go catch up on other TRs

 

[cfw213]

Happy Sunday Diser's! I am finally getting around to posting our day 1 plans! This will probably be the only update for the next 2 weeks, as we're all going away on vacation to the Adirondack's on Saturday for 8 days I will definitely keep the report going when I get back though!

SO, day 1 of our trip is October 26th! My mom's flight is earlier than ours, and I think she is taking Rapid Rover there so she doesn't have to drive. I'm not really sure of her schedule so I'll just start with ours! The four of us (Me, Jess, Mike, Bryan) will be up nice and early! My dad will be watching Oscar on Friday & Saturday night (and then the dogs will be in a kennel until Wednesday), so we'll have already dropped him off the night before. I will definitely miss this cute little face!



We will probably leave by 5:30 to pick up Mike & Jess and be parked at the airport by 6:30. Our flight is at 7:45 so we might have time to grab something to eat before we board! We have a quick direct flight to Orlando and will be landing by 10:15! Hopefully we can meet up quickly with mom and before you know it we'll be riding this bad boy!



Finally in our happy place!



I am hoping to be at the hotel by around 11:30-11:45. I think we will quickly check in and change. I am not expecting the room to be ready yet but if it is we can check it out! We are also getting Garden Grocer delivered so if they are there we will put them away. But we definitely will move quickly to make it to our first park of the trip...

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS! I am so excited we're starting here. This is our second-favorite park behind MK, and there is no way I'm going anywhere near MK on a Saturday DHS closes at 6 tonight for a special event, so we are expecting very low crowds. Before we do anything at the park, Jess and I will have to exchange our AP vouchers for actual APs and we have to get our FP+!

Once we are actually in the park we'll pick up a FP for RNRC (a favorite of everyone, especially my mom!) and then we are thinking it will be time for lunch, so we'll probably head to Jess' favorite - Pizza Planet!



I'm sure we'll all grab up one of these crappy pizzas



and enjoy being in WDW! We have a couple priorities this day - after lunch I'd like to see the 2pm Indiana Jones show as we haven't been in a few years and I think the guys would enjoy it. Since we'll be in the area, maybe Jess, Mike & Bryan can do Star Tours (not for me ) and my mom & I could check out One Man's Dream while we wait, or we'll just hang around the area. I'd also like to do the Backlot Tour...



And by that time we can probably use our RNRC FPs!! While we're in the area I suspect that we'll get another FP for RNRC or Tower of Terror (depending on standby lines), then try to hit up Animation Academy, hopefully around 4:30...



Then try jump on the Great Movie Ride before we use whatever FP we pulled and maybe sneak another ride in on either RNRC or TOT before the park closes at 6!

We'll take the boat back to the Beach Club and hopefully our luggage will have been delivered safely! I plan to unpack/relax a little bit in the room since we have a late ADR! We'll probably need to leave around 7:15 for our 8:30 ADR at...'Ohana! I am really excited to visit here again and the timing should be right to watch Wishes while we eat. Hopefully we can get a seat near the window but if not, no biggie. I am just super excited for all-you-can-eat noodles, meat, shrimp - YUM!



Maybe we'll even spring for one of these...



And I definitely want to try to bread pudding this time since we skipped it last time in favor of Wishes on the Poly beach. In any case, I'm sure we'll have a fantastic meal! It will definitely be after 10:00 by the time we get back to Beach Club, so the pool will probably be out for this night and we'll all be tired! I suspect that we'll go to bed early for our first full day in the World!

 

[katiee37]

Joining in! It looks like you have a great trip in the works!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

What a great deal on the Old Navy shirts!

OMG that tank top with Ariel is too funny- I love it.

Have fun in the Adirondacks!

Your first day plans look great! Definitely a good idea not to go to MK on a Saturday. We're going to DHS on our first day too

 

[Dancegrl624]

I also went crazy with the Old Navy Disney shirts!!! It was such a great deal with the 30% off! I bought my DS the orange Woody & Buzz shirt and the navy Pluto shirt (he's wearing it right now), my DD got the Mickey Mouse t-shirt with Mickey blowing a bubble (it has little Mickey heads all over the back) and I bought the 2 tanks tops (the one you have and the red Minnie one...they only had Mediums by the time I ordered and they are way too big...I don't care though!). I also bought the Navy one you have (with all the different Mickey's), the oatmeal colored Minnie one, the gray Mickey & Minnie one and the 3/4 sleeved Mickey and Minnie (I think they're in a car).

I also bought 2 dressed (which I returned) and a new black v-neck shirt (a staple in everyone's wardrobe). All of that came to only $110!!! I also used $15 in ON rewards. Not bad! I should also mention that we do not have a Disney trip in our future (just my solo business trip). But, I did wear almost all of my shirts this past week.

Aren't they so soft?!

 

[Nakkira]

Ironically, the 5 day hoppers we bought for everyone else cost $325 a pop from Undercover Tourist - ouch! We were going to get 4 day passes but the 5th day was free...so we just did 5.
I also lucked out and purchased them right before the price increase last week.

Joining In!, loved your last trip report

I too am going in October this year fun earlier than you. I got my tickets from Undercover Tourist (not park Hopper but got the 5th day free) just before the prices went up! I love the scavenger hunt that bargain tripping can turn into.
I really want to try making my own Disney Tshirts after your last report.

 

[cfw213]

Joining In!, loved your last trip report

Welcome Glad you can join me!

I too am going in October this year fun earlier than you. I got my tickets from Undercover Tourist (not park Hopper but got the 5th day free) just before the prices went up! I love the scavenger hunt that bargain tripping can turn into.
I really want to try making my own Disney Tshirts after your last report.

Yeah, undercover tourist is a really good deal! I usually book a package but since we are DVC this time I could buy the tickets from UT.

Disney shirts are so fun!

I also went crazy with the Old Navy Disney shirts!!! It was such a great deal with the 30% off! I bought my DS the orange Woody & Buzz shirt and the navy Pluto shirt (he's wearing it right now), my DD got the Mickey Mouse t-shirt with Mickey blowing a bubble (it has little Mickey heads all over the back) and I bought the 2 tanks tops (the one you have and the red Minnie one...they only had Mediums by the time I ordered and they are way too big...I don't care though!). I also bought the Navy one you have (with all the different Mickey's), the oatmeal colored Minnie one, the gray Mickey & Minnie one and the 3/4 sleeved Mickey and Minnie (I think they're in a car).

I also bought 2 dressed (which I returned) and a new black v-neck shirt (a staple in everyone's wardrobe). All of that came to only $110!!! I also used $15 in ON rewards. Not bad! I should also mention that we do not have a Disney trip in our future (just my solo business trip). But, I did wear almost all of my shirts this past week.

Aren't they so soft?!

Wow you got great deals!! Yes they are sooo soft & comfortable, I love them!

What a great deal on the Old Navy shirts!

OMG that tank top with Ariel is too funny- I love it.

Have fun in the Adirondacks!

Your first day plans look great! Definitely a good idea not to go to MK on a Saturday. We're going to DHS on our first day too

Haha, Target has great Disney shirts! We avoid MK like the plague on Saturdays

 

[cfw213]

Joining in! It looks like you have a great trip in the works!

Welcome, thanks for following!

 

[cfw213]

Hello Dis! I kind of fell off the face of the Earth for a little while but I'm BACK and ready to get this PTR moving. I was away on vacation for 8 days in upstate NY (with the whole fam - we had a great time, as always ), and this past week I was at a work training conference for 3 days, so things have been crazy.

However, I'm super excited to continue with my PTR and even more excited that the next time I pack my bags for vacation it'll be to DISNEY I've also been reading up on the changes to FP and MagicBand. I know there's a lot of controversy but I love new technology and I am really excited to try it out if we get the opportunity. We plan pretty heavily in advance so I think it will benefit us.

Anyway, onto Day 2 plans!

Our first full day in Disney will start bring an early, with a 6:30am wakeup call! We will quickly get ready and head to a 7:40 ADR at Chef Mickey....

None of us have ever been here before and I'm so excited. I can't wait to see all the characters in their costumes! I know that Bryan and Mike aren't going to want to wait in line for characters so this is a good opportunity to get pics with them. I've also never been in the Contemporary so I'm excited to check it out! I can't wait to have me some Mickey waffles

We will hopefully get to MK in time for the Welcome show, but if not no big deal. Jess and I are the only ones who care and we have another MK morning planned later in the trip. But if we make it, that'll be fantastic! Either way, we should get there pretty close to RD.



After the show, we'll head right for Future World and hit up Space Mountain and Buzz! I love me some Buzz

After that, we'll head over to the new Little Mermaid ride! I don't think the lines should be too long yet...

We probably won't do much exploring in New Fantasyland at this point, since Jess and I will be back later to mosey around. We're going to want to head over to Frontierland for this bad boy!



Splash - my favorite ride! I'm thinking at this point it will probably be around 10:00 so hopefully no line. If there's a line we'll just get a FP while we ride BTMMR, Pirates and the Jungle Cruise!

Once we finish Frontierland/Adventureland, it'll be time to head to Liberty Square for another favorite...

Haunted Mansion!


After this, I'm thinking it'll be about lunchtime. What we do for lunch depends on alot of things. There are a lot of rumors about using FP+ or a special type of FP to get lunch at BOG without much of a wait. If we can do that, or if the lines die down then we'll eat lunch at BOG. I'm not willing to burn more than an hour doing it so I suppose we'll just play it by ear. We'll also be near Columbia Harbor House, a favorite CS of ours if no one wants to wait for BOG. Jess and I will get another chance to do it later in the trip

After lunch the plan is to head back to Stormalong Bay for the afternoon, as long as it's nice! If the weather is crappy, we may head back for a nap or just stay in the park.

If we do head back, we plan to be back at the MK by around 4:00-4:30 so we have some time for more touring before our dinner ADR! We'll probably head over to Fantasyland and ride it's a small world. Fantasyland is not a priority for Mike & Bryan, and PP will be closed during our stay ( ), so this will probably be all we do here. Can't skip the classics!



Our other priorities will be Philharmagic, the Laugh Floor and the PEOPLEMOVER (possibly more than once).



We may pick up another FP for Space while we're in the area, if the times work out.

After we finish our "must dos", its possible that we'll have time left before we need to leave for our ADR at 6:45, so we'll just play it by ear. By 6:45, we need to hit the monorail for our 7:40 dinner in Epcot at...



LE CELLIER!!!!! I am already dreaming about these...



And this...



OH and this....



I will most definitely getting the mushroom filet again! I would like to catch Illuminations at 9, but I'm thinking it's probably not going to happen unfortunatley which is a bummer, because it's my Mom's favorite. I could personally take it or leave it. We may have a chance to see it another night...we'll see!

After dinner, we'll waddle back to our rooms through the International Gateway . If we're not too tired, we may hit up SAB again, but I expect we'll be pooped after another long day!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I hope your vacation was awesome!

Hopefully they will pick you to test the magicbands and not me! I'm all for advancing technology but for me personally, I'd rather not be involved until everything is all worked out and running well. But, of course testing needs to be done before that so it's good that there are people like you that want to!

We're going to Chef Mickey's for the first time in September too!

I've heard that so far people aren't able to register for the FP+ for October but I'd imagine you could as it gets closer? Who knows!

Your plans sound great! And the Le Cellier pictures are making me hungry!

 

[cfw213]

I hope your vacation was awesome!

Hopefully they will pick you to test the magicbands and not me! I'm all for advancing technology but for me personally, I'd rather not be involved until everything is all worked out and running well. But, of course testing needs to be done before that so it's good that there are people like you that want to!

We're going to Chef Mickey's for the first time in September too!

I've heard that so far people aren't able to register for the FP+ for October but I'd imagine you could as it gets closer? Who knows!

Your plans sound great! And the Le Cellier pictures are making me hungry!

Thanks, we did have a really nice vacation! I think about LC all the time and it ALWAYS makes me hungry

 

[cfw213]

Hello DIS! It looks like I'm overdue for another update! I really need to get better about posting regularly, because our trip is getting closer - we're down to 73 days

Last Friday, Jess and I worked on our MNSSHP costumes and I am SO HAPPY with how they're coming along. We still need to finish up our hats, and Jess still has a lot of fur spots to glue onto her shorts and leggings, but they're in the works!



Note: I will not be wearing these ugly shorts to MNSSHP! Ha I just didn't want to put on my green leggings and shorts. And forgive the weird pose my dog is making, he apparently had to scratch!

We also really need to start making our park tshirts (we have some ideas in mind for a group shirt!), but things have just been crazy and we haven't had time. That's next on the agenda!

Anyway, onto day 3 plans!

Monday, October 28th is our Animal Kingdom morning! There are morning EMH, so we'll be up SUPER early, and headed out the door by around 7:15! I *love* Animal Kingdom, especially in the early morning. It's so beautiful and peaceful! Hopefully the crowds will look like this:



First up, we'd like to hit the Safari! I've never been on first thing in the morning and everyone says that's the best time to see the most activity...With any luck we'll see lots of animals!


After all the serenity of the morning, it'll be time to let loose on Everest before the park opens for regular hours!


I love Everest, but I have bad motion sickness so once is enough for me! But if everyone else wants a second ride, I'll definitely wait.


Also, we plan on grabbing Fastpasses to come back for later! The other ride we want to hit before the crowds come in is Dinosaur. I think everyone knows how much I *hate* this ride, but now that I've ridden several times, I'm not as afraid since I know where the scary stuff happens! Unlike me, Jess loves Dinosaur...


After that, we don't have concrete plans. We will DEFINITELY see FOTLK at some point, as well as use our Everest FP, walk the two trails and see ITTBAB. We may try to ride Kali depending on the weather/times, but we'll see. I could live without it!



I will definitely be taking lots of pictures in this beautiful park!

At lunchtime, I'm pretty sure we're going to go to Flame Tree! It always smells so good when we walk past but I've never tried it. As long as we don't have to sit near birds...because that would be a dealbreaker! Do they have indoor seating, anyone know?

After we eat lunch, we'll probably be done in AK for the day, and we plan to head back to Storm Along Bay for some swimming (if it's nice) or just relaxing (if it's not).

Around 4:00, we're going to head through the International Gateway for the first time to have dinner around the WS at Food and Wine!

This will be our first time and I'm so excited. Some things I might want to try (on either of our Epcot days)...
- the crispy pork belly from Brazil
- The garlic shrimp from Australia
- Schinken Nudel (Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese) from Germany
- Kielbasa and Potato Pierogie from Poland (this is #1 on the list!)
- Ravioli Di Formaggio All’Emiliana from Italy
- Griddled Lobster Tail from the Hops & Barley booth
- Fried Shrimp at the Dole booth
- Pork Slider from Hawaii

Not to mention all the delicious drinks!! I plan on printing out the F&W menus before we go so we can have a plan of attack. I think I'm going to try to save all my snack credits for our first part of the DDP (4 nights at Beach Club), so I can use them on food!

If you didn't notice, I didn't list any desserts because when we're done snacking/touring the World Showcase (I'm thinking around 7:15), we'll be heading to MK for Wishes Dessert! We went two years ago (can't find any pics...), and we LOVED it. Our reservation is for 8:10, so that gives us plenty of time to load up on desserts before the fireworks start

If MSEP is playing at 10:00, we'll stay for it. Right now it's not listed on the schedule, but according to EasyWDW, they will probably add a second parade. If not, Jess and I can see it another night but I love MSEP and would like to see it twice.

There are evening EMH tonight, but we haven't had much luck with them in the past so I doubt we'll stick around. We'll probably head back after MSEP ready for another day!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

The shirts for the costumes look great! I love it!

Your plans for the day sound awesome too! We like to go to the safari first in the morning and last time we actually saw some lions awake so maybe you'll get lucky too!

Those F&W snacks sound delicious-- I'm jealous!

Yay for the dessert party. I can't wait to hear what you guys think of it. I kinda want to do it but we're not huge dessert people so I can't decide! Maybe someday!