*~Trading Snow & Slush For Pixie Dust~* Jan PTR - 1/17 - Photo Challenge Complete!

[blessedmom4]

Colleen, I have been trying to get back here to say I am just in awe and amazement at all of your INCREDIBLE CREATIONS!!!
You must LOVE walking around Disney hearing how great everything is! STUNNING isn't even enough to say for your talent!

 

[Colleen27]

Well, since I'm in a January frame of mind I've been flipping through some of my pictures of our last January trip.

We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, which was beautiful but not the best planning on my part. That boat ride to the Magic Kingdom is probably a lovely amenity in May, but in January it wasn't all that enjoyable.

We had a great view, though.

The whole trip was unexpectedly magical, because we'd just found out a month earlier that Boo was on her way and got to see her heartbeat right before we left. Trying to have a third child wasn't an easy road for us but from the moment we got to see her heartbeat on ultrasound I just knew she was going to be fine, so we were really able to relax and enjoy our last trip as a family of four.

It is hard to believe it has been almost 4 years.

Stitch and Pocahontas were so little!

Stitch turned 10 midway through the trip and for his birthday we did the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour at the Magic Kingdom, which was really cool.

Unfortunately it was too foggy to get great empty-MK pics before the tour.

At the end of our tour we ran into the thickest crowds of the trip. This was just after 9am/rope drop on Saturday of MLK weekend, and I'm using the word "crowded" VERY loosely!

We did have a couple of really nice warm days, including one at Typhoon Lagoon. No pics, though - I don't take my camera there.

The cooler weather didn't even keep the kids from swimming in the evenings.

I can't seem to find my favorite of the pool pics, where you can see the lifeguard in his jacket and gloves in the background; I suspect it is probably still on the memory card of our point & shoot camera which I sort of misplaced in the move. It is here somewhere...

That was also our first trip with the deluxe dining plan, which had only just become available on 1/1/08, and our first experiences with signature dining.

Back then, California Grill used to randomly do this thing where they'd pick a child to "start" the MK fireworks and Pocahontas was picked. She still has the "magical moment" certificate and picture from the restaurant framed in her room. We had the most wonderful view of Wishes from our table, and Cali Grill has been on our must-do list ever since.

I was trying to jog my memory about weather details and it looks like most of the time the kids were in t-shirts and carrying hoodies to throw on as needed, which isn't too bad.

If we do have to postpone our trip, we'll be there a week later than we were on that trip. In '08 we were there over the MLK holiday weekend, Jan 16 to 27. This time we'd be there the week after the holiday, Jan 21 to 29. I'm working on a rough draft itinerary now but dining availability looks to be wide open except for Le Cellier so I don't think I'll have too much trouble getting things set.

 

[Colleen27]

Hopefully you can get everything sorted out!! It stinks when real life gets in the way of a Disney vacation, but sometimes those are the breaks, I guess. At least if you do have to postpone, it is for a time that still works out well for your family. I had heard of the YES programs from seeing that name pop up on the boards, but had no idea what it was until I listened to Teresa talk about doing them with her girls on the podcast. They sounds so interesting! So at least you would have those to look forward to with the two oldest if you go in January.

Gotta say, it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but I too would be very upset at having to miss out on Splash. That might be what I'm looking forward to the most on our trip since I was pregnant last time and couldn't ride! Also one year we went and RnRC was down, and scheduled to open the day we left Orlando! That was a HUGE bummer!!

The classes do sound really interesting. Pocahontas has been wanting to do one ever since I first read about them over on the Budget Board but the timing never seemed to work out. So that would certainly be a bright side to changing dates.

My "deal breaker" right now is Tower of Terror. It is my favorite Disney ride and I haven't been on it since '05! We didn't go to Studios on our '07 trip because we were only there 3 nights, in '08 I was pregnant, and in '09 I got sick on our Studios day. Then on our last trip Pocahontas decided she would rather have more time playing in the sports zone (from ESPN the Weekend) than ride ToT.

Colleen, I have been trying to get back here to say I am just in awe and amazement at all of your INCREDIBLE CREATIONS!!!
You must LOVE walking around Disney hearing how great everything is! STUNNING isn't even enough to say for your talent!

Thank you so much.

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm sorry to hear about the change of plans! But it sounds like there will be some advantages to switching to January.

Thanks for sharing the pictures from your last January trip.

 

[Colleen27]

I have thrown together an itinerary for Jan and while it is different from Nov, I really like how it came together.

1/21 - Fly down, check in. Because of the changes in the '12 DDP prices it makes more sense to go two rooms/moderate rather than one value suite, so we'll most likely book POFQ or POR for the proximity to DTD.

Dinner will be Chef Mickeys, right at opening, and from there we'll boat over to Ft Wilderness for the Chip & Dale campfire.

1/22 - Magic Kingdom. Rope drop, lunch at Crystal Palace. Our "break" will be dinner at California Grill at 6, so we should be finishing up just in time to watch Wishes at 8 before heading back to the MK for evening EMH until 11.

1/23 - Our first unplanned day. Depending on the weather this might be a waterpark or Disney Quest or just hang out exploring our resort/swimming. No plans for breakfast/lunch, we'll just wing it. Dinner is at Flying Fish then we'll head over to Studios for evening EMH and the Disney Junior dance party.

1/24 - Pocahontas' class at Animal Kingdom. Not sure which of us will attend with her, probably DH. Lunch at Yak & Yeti, stay until closing. Haven't decided on dinner yet - I have an ADR for Ohana but if my brother doesn't come I'll cancel in favor of Citricos or Artist Point.

1/25 - Stitch's class at Epcot. He'll attend on his own since he's old enough and enjoys little freedoms like that. We're fitting in our princess breakfast while he's elsewhere, before park opening at Akershus. Lunch may or may not be Rose & Crown depending on how breakfast goes - last time we were at Akershus we did still want lunch. We're just not big breakfast eaters, so when we do character breakfasts it is all about seeing the characters and getting the empty park pics, and not much about eating. Dinner is at La Hacienda.

1/26 - Rope drop at Studios. Lunch is at 50s Prime Time, followed by the presentation by Ridley Pearson. We'll stay until close and have dinner at Boatwrights back at our resort.

1/27 - Our second unplanned day. Basically same as the first - waterpark, Disney Quest, resort, or just head to the park. Lunch on the fly where ever we happen to be. Dinner is at Teppan Edo followed by Illuminations and evening EMH at Epcot.

1/28 - Magic Kingdom for our last park day. Lunch at The Plaza, dinner at Tony's. Main Street Electrical Parade is at 7, Wishes at 8, and the park doesn't close until 11 so we plan to make it a late night.

1/29 - Departure day. Assuming we're at POR/FQ we'll do some last minute shopping at DTD, burn any leftover snack credits at Goofy's, and have lunch at Raglan Road before our mid-afternoon ME pickup.

I'll almost certainly make some ADR changes if we go with this plan because I'm not happy with how few new-to-us places are on my current list. I'm watching for Le Cellier to open up on either of our Epcot evenings but for now things are set and looking pretty good.

 

[Coconuts]

Your tenative January plans look great. We went the exact same week this past January and loved it. Although we really only squeezed in one warm swimming day; there were other afternoons that were warm enough to swim, but we were out at the parks. Good luck either way--November or January.

 

[skier_pete]

Looks like a good plan. Have you considered Le Cellier Lunch? If you are on the DDP, they charge 2 credits for dinner but only 1 for lunch. (Not so important if you are OOP.)

 

[Colleen27]

Your tenative January plans look great. We went the exact same week this past January and loved it. Although we really only squeezed in one warm swimming day; there were other afternoons that were warm enough to swim, but we were out at the parks. Good luck either way--November or January.

The more I think about it the more I think we can just go with the flow weather-wise. And I've added nice, warm terrycloth robes/coverups to the sewing list for getting to/from the pool on cooler nights.

Looks like a good plan. Have you considered Le Cellier Lunch? If you are on the DDP, they charge 2 credits for dinner but only 1 for lunch. (Not so important if you are OOP.)

We'll be on the deluxe plan, so the signature status doesn't really matter much, especially since I've booked fewer signatures than usual this trip out of regard for my brother's pickier eating habits and the fact that my kids have a laundry list of favorites that they want to show him. I'm watching for both but figure at a free dining time of year the signature dinner is the one more likely to come open.

In cruising the Theme Parks board today I found something that made me happy, assuming it turns out to be accurate. A couple of people have posted that Big Thunder Mountain - easily my family's least favorite of the MK mountains - is slated for a rehab in January. Since Disney doesn't generally close two of the mountains at one time, if the rumor pans out (and it came in part from a generally reliable source, Cheshire Figment of ticket-sticky fame) it means there's a good chance Splash won't be getting its annual face-lift on the usual schedule this winter.

 

[jenseib]

Wow, a lot has changed since I last read. LOL! But it looks like you are going to make the best of the changes (if they happen). At least you will still be going.

 

[Colleen27]

Wow, a lot has changed since I last read. LOL! But it looks like you are going to make the best of the changes (if they happen). At least you will still be going.

Yep. I'll be muttering that under my breath for sure when I go to put together a new ticker.

We still don't know what is going to happen with work but Pocahontas came home from basketball practice last night with a revised schedule... Our Nov dates were planned for the week after her expected last game (based on last year), but the league has decided to try holding a playoff tourney & championship game for the first time this year which carries the season two weeks longer than we thought it would be. Pocahontas would miss both the playoff and, if her team makes it, the championship if we stuck to the November dates. So I took that as a sign - too many things aligning against Nov, too many things falling into place just right for Jan.

I called and made the change this morning. Got a very funny, chatty CM named Ferris who was wonderfully helpful through some system glitches - removing someone from a reservation, changing dates, changing resorts, and updating DS's age couldn't all go smoothly on a Disney computer system, could it? He had a cute way of explaining the random computer hiccups and I could just tell he was used to going with the flow of Disney IT - he said that normally Tinkerbell runs the booking engine, but sometimes even she has to take a break. It doesn't take long, but in the time it takes her to gather more pixie dust Stitch often drops in to run things in her absence. It was such an apt description of Disney tech that it had me literally laughing out loud.

So the new plan is this - Jan 21 to 29, Port Orleans Riverside. Yes, we're revisiting my sort-of least favorite resort. I love the landscaping and atmosphere, but the size of the resort was definitely a bit daunting. However, the rehab going on over there looks amazing and I requested the section of Alligator Bayou that is scheduled to be finished before Christmas so hopefully we'll have new rooms. Even if we don't, trundles in both rooms mean no one has to share a bed, other than DH & I of course, and that's bound to mean a better night's sleep for everyone. And splitting the reservation 5/2 with my family all together in one room makes the ticket finagling easier.

On that front, we're getting 2 day base tickets to get the free dining. Those will be set aside for a future trip or trips - probably DH & I will use two on our anniversary trip next Oct, and then the other three will be my excuse for a me & the kids Star Wars Weekend trip in '13 since I'm going to get an AP for the TiW on our anniversary trip.

For this trip we'll have 7 day YES premium tickets. The price difference between base & premium is only $30ish per ticket but you have to have your options set when you order - no upgrades or changes at the gate like you can do with MYW tix. So for that minimal upcharge we're going to err on the side of more options, knowing that DH & the older kids will go to Disney Quest at least once and that we will spend a morning at Blizzard Beach if the weather allows.

And of course we'll all be on the deluxe dining plan.

So now, back to square one... Only 115 days to go headache: that used to be 38 ), I'd better get cracking!

 

[Coconuts]

Good luck with your January plans!

 

[jenseib]

Yay! You have plans settled!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm sorry you had to change your trip but it sounds like your plans are coming together nicely. We lucked out with the sports schedule - I thought for sure Alex was going to miss the soccer jamboree that has been held on the first Saturday of November for the past two years. I guess the fact that he's moved up to the 5th/6th grade team this year made the difference... their jamboree is the last Saturday in October! Unfortunately we just found out that Zach is going to miss a karate tournament. They only happen twice a year so he won't be happy when we tell him! But at least he'll be happy once he finds out the REAL reason he's missing the tournament!

 

[Colleen27]

Good luck with your January plans!

Yay! You have plans settled!

Thanks!

I'm sorry you had to change your trip but it sounds like your plans are coming together nicely. We lucked out with the sports schedule - I thought for sure Alex was going to miss the soccer jamboree that has been held on the first Saturday of November for the past two years. I guess the fact that he's moved up to the 5th/6th grade team this year made the difference... their jamboree is the last Saturday in October! Unfortunately we just found out that Zach is going to miss a karate tournament. They only happen twice a year so he won't be happy when we tell him! But at least he'll be happy once he finds out the REAL reason he's missing the tournament!

Moving up to the 5/6 program is what did us in with Pocahontas. Sports in our town are big and several of the successful high school sports programs have a hand in running youth programs to sort of ease kids into the level of play and competition that is expected on the school teams. The 3/4 program is strictly in-town but 5/6 is semi-travel against other schools'/towns' programs, and her hands-on coaches are varsity players (under supervision of the adult coordinators, of course). She's very athletic and competitive, and while I think she'd have been okay missing a regular game or two to travel I know she'd be upset to miss the playoffs.

The new plans are falling into place very well. I booked Le Cellier for dinner on our second Epcot day and made a few other ADR changes. I should have time for a full update tomorrow, unless I end up trapped in the kitchen all day. It is salsa making, day two - because the three dozen jars from day one aren't quite enough - and one never knows quite how that will go!

 

[Colleen27]

It has been a busy weekend around these parts... 20 more jars of salsa, a football game on a very blustery day, and a sleepover for Pocahontas and three of her closest friends have kept me hopping! Currently the girls are building a fort in my dining room and I've escaped the kitchen for today. Tomorrow it is on to chili sauce and BBQ sauce!

But while I have a lull, time for a trip update!

First, a brief introduction to an addition to the cast. We're about 90% sure my brother will be joining us now.

Uncle B is about as fond of being photographed as Stitch. I had to go all the way back to Boo's 2nd birthday to find a pic of him on my photo drive, and as you can see it is one I snapped when he was too busy to notice.

Growing up, B & I only went to Disney once. It was the year I graduated high school, in the year of the pepto-pink cakestle, and he was 16 and much too cool for anything Disney. He spent a fair bit of the trip hanging out poolside rather than joining DM & I in the parks, and the day we spent at River Country was the highlight of the trip for him.

Ever since we started taking the kids he's wanted to join us and actually do Disney the right way. He often acts like a 30yo kid, sometimes in good ways, sometimes not so much. The kids love hanging out with him because he'll do most of the same things they do with their friends, like diving off the boardwalk into the river or riding bikes up to the township park, and at Disney he'll certainly be good for midnight swimming and riding the thrillers over and over again. He's a picky eater but when I sent him menu links for some of our dinners his feeling was that so long as he can get a steak and request "the weird stuff" left off he'll be fine.

He really doesn't have a list of must dos, but since he hasn't been to two of the parks at all (Epcot and Animal Kingdom) and only spent one day each in the other two parks 15 years ago everything is new to him. So he's pretty much just going with the flow of what we plan. He loves Cedar Point and there's nothing there he won't ride, so I'm sure he'll be up for trying everything Disney has to offer.

Now, on to the new plans - day one!

I'm watching airfares for both airports and there are several options that are good so as soon as I see the price hit my mental "good deal" mark of $200pp r/t I'll book it. I suspect we'll end up going out of Detroit because right now that's running about $70pp cheaper. Regardless, we'll get to MCO between 11 and 12, and should be checking in at our resort by 2 at the very latest. In the past Saturday arrivals have meant a longer wait for Magical Express but I'm hoping it won't take too long.

(photo from Allears)

We have two rooms booked at POR, garden view. I booked us as my family of 5 and with just DM & B in the second room, in order to get us placed in the Alligator Bayou section of the resort with the extra bed in each room. Odds are one of the kids will end up sleeping in the other room but this way we should have 6 beds and no one will have to share except me & DH.

I requested connecting rooms, building 38 or 39. The refurb of those buildings will be complete before Christmas and I'm hoping since they're not the closest to the main building that they won't be a terribly popular request. We also have a request for first floor noted on our reservation for mobility reasons - DM will have a hard time if we're on the second floor of AB since those buildings don't have elevators.

This is way more requests than we usually make, so I won't be at all surprised if we don't get them all! First floor matters, the rest is all just nice to have if possible.

After check-in we should have a couple of hours to swim and explore the resort before we have to get freshened up for our evening plans. Then it is on to a Magic Kingdom bus and a short walk over to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey's.

Our ADR is for right at the 5pm opening time so the food should be fresh and tasty, and Boo will love starting the trip with some time with the Mouse himself.

With full bellies, it will be off to the dock behind the Contemporary for the hop across Bay Lake to Fort Wilderness for Chip & Dale's campfire and sing along.

If it isn't too cool and the movie is something the kids want to see we might stick around for the movie under the stars. Otherwise we'll just head back to POR and make it an early night so we can get a good start for our first park day.

 

[Colleen27]

I really need to step away from the Disney planning sites!

Stitch Kingdom posted news yesterday about the first confirmed January rehabs - BTMRR is going to be down, as expected, but Dumbo will be closed too! The closure is speculated to be for the move to the new location in what used to be Toontown, and it will reopen just in time for the Presidents' Day/Mardi Gras week. I know Boo will be disappointed that it is closed, but more than that I'm thinking that the reopening might be a clue as to when the first phase of the expansion will open, which we'd all be excited to see.

There's a crazy little voice in my head that actually had me look at changing our dates to be there when it reopens. But DH has some anxiety issues when it comes to the kids and crowds, and all the prices are higher - room, airfare, even dining since part of that week is peak season - so it is really just a passing fancy. Boo will have to make do with the Magic Carpets, and we'll see the new Fantasyland when it isn't packed to the gills!

So to distract myself from the temptation to try to make the later dates work out, I've turned my attention to our day two plans instead.

I love being able to both start and end a trip with the Magic Kingdom, and the park hours worked out just right for doing that this time. So on our first full day in the World it will be straight for the heart of the magic!

I've been going over how we do the parks in my head, trying to think of what I would do differently with Uncle B in the mix since he is essentially a first timer. I'm not used to that - I've adapted my planning to my family's been there, done that, will be back soon approach to Disney and we don't worry about fitting everything in the way we used to.

I want to be there for rope drop for sure, because I've never seen the welcome show.

Once we're actually in the park... Well, I've kind of waffled about that. No Dumbo and no Thunder Mountain really messes with the Touring Plans and Tour Guide Mike touring advice, and I don't want to make things too structured this first day.

I think the first stop will be Tomorrowland.

Space Mountain is a must-do, of course, but what I'm really hoping for by starting the day here is the opportunity for several rounds of Buzz Lightyear while the lines are short. B is a video game nut and Stitch is already looking forward to seeing who wins between the two of them.

I suspect I might regret it because I have a hard time with spinning rides and for some reason the height makes it worse than its land based cousins, but with Dumbo down we're going to introduce Boo to Astro Orbiter for the first time. If I'm not too busy trying to ignore the going round in circles aspect I might even slap on my zoom lens and get some aerial shots of the park.

I'm sure the kids won't be able to resist stopping in to visit their favorite monsters while we're in the area.

And I suspect Stitch might insist on seeing the stinky little animatronic version of himself too, especially since B has never seen it. I'll sit that one out. Boo is too small for it and I'm just not a big fan. That'll be a good time for Boo & I to stop and visit with a character or two.

I would like to have Tomorrowland pretty well done before we head back to Main Street for lunch. We're skipping a couple of the classic-but-not-exciting rides like Carousel of Progress and Tomorrowland Transit Authority, simply because Pocahontas and I are the only ones into the whole "history of Disney" angle and we got to ride them in March.

Lunch is at Crystal Palace.

We've been there once before, for breakfast on our Christmas trip. Shocked is an understatement for my reaction when Stitch told me we had to go back, so we're trying lunch this time. And of course Boo has a cute little outfit just for the occasion.

After lunch, we'll head for Adventureland. The girls will want to meet Tink in her new spot, and Jungle Cruise and Pirates are must-dos for all of us.

Boo will certainly want to ride the carpets and maybe stop in to meet Jasmine & Aladdin. If the big kids want to check out the treehouse they can do that while DM and I take Boo to see the characters.

I would like to see the Enchanted Tiki Room because I've never seen the original version, just the "Under New Management" edition.

By the time we finish up Adventureland it should be mid-afternoon, the warmest part of the day. This is by design because next up is Splash Mountain and short of near-freezing weather I don't think there will be any talking the kids out of it! I'll keep an eye on the Lines app through the day to decide if I need to run over there to grab FPs or if we can get away with going standby. DM will likely take Boo over to see the Country Bears or to meet Woody & Jessie while the rest of us do Splash.

That's as far as I'm hoping to get for the day. After Splash we'll hop on the train and head out. We have a 6:20 dinner ADR for Citricos, which is the only signature restaurant I haven't yet gotten to try so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm not worried about catching Wishes - we'll do that on our second MK day.

After dinner, we'll head back to the park for a little evening fun. I don't really have a plan for the evening; we'll just pick a direction and hit whatever sounds like fun. I really enjoy the Jungle Cruise and Splash at night so maybe we'll head over that way, or if the crowds are clearing out fairly quickly we'll head to Fantasyland instead. Even with evening EMH the park closes at 11, so it won't be a super late night.

 

[skier_pete]

No - don't move your trip again.

#1 - There is no guarantee that the new section of toontown will be open by a certain date until they officially announce it, which probably won't be until after the first of the year.

#2 - Moving to a more crowded time will make it much harder to get desirable ADRs on short notice. And if you go right after something new opens, the crowds will be crazy!

#3 - Really all that will be in the new Circusland is Dumbo and Barnstormer, and big picture it won't really make much of a difference to your trip. (BTMRR will still be down until April.)

That's my opinion.

 

[Colleen27]

Like I said, it was just a crazy impulse... not something I'd follow through on. Even if it was 100% certain that the Dumbo/Barnstormer/train station section would be open the crowd levels would hold me back.

We took our '09 Christmas trip during the full week before the holiday break, coming home the Sunday before Christmas, and the crowd levels on our last park day (first day of the Christmas parade & fireworks outside of MVMCP - an 8 according to TouringPlans) were too high for DH to be able to enjoy himself. He's always had a hard time with crowds, particularly when we've got the kids with us, and it has gotten progressively worse over the years. There's no way I'd plan a trip with him that involved being in the parks on days the planning sites rate as 9 or 10. Both sets of later dates that would work for the kids' schedules would have 2-3 park days with peak level crowds, which just isn't doable for us. DH would be too stressed to have any fun!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Hi Colleen! I'm subbing and have been reading! Looks like you are a trip changer, so we have something in common! We're headed down right as your trip is wrapping up, so it will be fun to follow your PTR, I have one as well, if you have lots of time to read lots of rambling!

Dumbo and Thunder threw my plans as well at MK! I guess it will give us more time for other things, but my dd is pretty disappointed. BTW, I thought it was adorable that you call your dd Boo, I used to call my dd Boo and she would call me KITTY! (what Boo calls Sully in Monsters Inc.)

 

[skier_pete]

Like I said, it was just a crazy impulse... not something I'd follow through on. Even if it was 100% certain that the Dumbo/Barnstormer/train station section would be open the crowd levels would hold me back.

We took our '09 Christmas trip during the full week before the holiday break, coming home the Sunday before Christmas, and the crowd levels on our last park day (first day of the Christmas parade & fireworks outside of MVMCP - an 8 according to TouringPlans) were too high for DH to be able to enjoy himself. He's always had a hard time with crowds, particularly when we've got the kids with us, and it has gotten progressively worse over the years. There's no way I'd plan a trip with him that involved being in the parks on days the planning sites rate as 9 or 10. Both sets of later dates that would work for the kids' schedules would have 2-3 park days with peak level crowds, which just isn't doable for us. DH would be too stressed to have any fun!

Hey Colleen...would you believe we were there at MK the same DAY in 2009 - we also left the next day on Sunday. We spent the morning at Animal Kingdom, and transferred over through the TTC. I remember the line for the monorail going on forever, so we got on a packed ferry boat instead. The crowds were CA-RAY-ZEE @ MK! We watched the Christmas parade from the head of main street (by the train station) and then went and watched the stage show. It's partly why we have no desire to pay $65 per person to see what we already saw for "free". It left me ZERO desire to go during busy times, though we've had friends that went during the President's Day/Winter Break and claimed it really wasn't too bad.