Tricks, Treats, Toddler, Food & Wine. An October 2011 Pre-Trip Report.

[tlenzendorf]

I would do plan 2 and then save MK for the last homeless day. Then you get to see MK to finish up still.

 

[im4kycats]

Yep - I second the alternate plan of moving DHS to Friday and spending the homeless day in MK. Sounds kind of nice to have a leisurely DTD time.

 

[msmith1026]

I agree, i like your plan 2--it sounds like you would have a nice evening at DTD!

 

[exwdwcm]

I would do plan 2 and then save MK for the last homeless day. Then you get to see MK to finish up still.

Yep - I second the alternate plan of moving DHS to Friday and spending the homeless day in MK. Sounds kind of nice to have a leisurely DTD time.

I agree, i like your plan 2--it sounds like you would have a nice evening at DTD!

THANK YOU guys! I think that is what I am going to do. If we think we are still feeling up to DHS that Wednesday, we can still go, but I think we will plan on just resting and doing DTD! I LOVE DTD, and usually try and visit twice per trip, but I only have it once this trip, so it will be nice to have lots of time to enjoy it. Plus it is mid-trip, after we have eyed some of the souvies we want! Since we have a rental car, I just might sneak off to the Disney outlet or DTD one day while Will and DH are napping!

Thanks for helping me sort out my change of plans! It made sense to change, I just needed that reassurance!

 

[mousescrapper]

Hi Michelle


getting caught up here...your done list and to do lists look good I'm going to place our GG order next week (30th) or sooner based on pay checks

I also searched and found that Mickey trick or treat shirt...there's going to be lots of sightings of this shirt around...

I love the idea of you going as Wendy for MNSSHP...I really hope you do it

Your Monday AK and fireworks cruise day sounds great

and I think your plan to have a relaxing eve after BB is a good one and end w/ MK before you head home!

J~

 

[khertz]

I love William's birthday shirt!! I just ordered Paxton 2 birthday shirts and I'm eagerly waiting for them to come in so I can post them. And I love your trick or treat shirt, because it's Mickey & Minnie of course but also because I got the same one! I'm excited for Paxton to go trick or treating the first time.

As for your choice of plans, I'll echo others and say I think you should go with plan 2. Seems to make the best use if your time without taking away will's nap. And you can spend more time at the MK on your departure day after 'Ohana.

 

[Pixiedust530]

Just finished catching up on your PTR! WOW...I was behind! LOL

I love Will's birthday shirt. It is sooooo adorable!!!

I have a question about your AK day. We are going to AK on Thurs. Oct. 20 just a few days after you. We have 8:00am ressies at Tusker House with a 9am park opening also. Not to worry you, but I had read some threads here on the DIS about the AK parking lot not opening until 15-30 minutes before PARK opening. Some people have said that if you are driving you won't be able to get in the parking lot if you have an early ADR. They have said that the only way to get in early is to take the bus. We will have our car and really don't want to use the bus. I know you are an ex CM...do you know anything about the parking lot at AK? I really want to drive, but I'm scared to chance it. You might have to post here if you were able to get in the parking lot so I know whether or not to try on Thursday...LOL

I think your plan 2 for DHS and DTD is the way to go. I would want the leisurely time at DTD and wouldn't want to feel rushed at DHS with the early closing time.

 

[crocko's wife]

...and we will only be at the same place once during our whole trip! Isn't that crazy! With two very detailed planners in my house and you spending as much time I am sure as the both of us, the only day we will be in the same place is Friday morning in Epcot! We have an Akershus 8:05 and a Le Cellier 1:30 that day, and we will probably spend most of our day in WS so that we can avoid it that night. We will pop out to FW after breakfast until WS opens, but we will probably ride a few things and do a bunch of FP grabbing for later. We are staying at BCV though, so maybe even that afternoon when you hit Beaches and Cream we can plan to meet up.

Also, I noticed you mentioned your Disney visa discount at WOD--do you know you can use your annual pass (mostly) everywhere and get the same discount regardless of value of purchase? I find that to be very helpful when stopping to grab just one or two things here and there as we so often do with little monkeys

 

[exwdwcm]

Hi Michelle
getting caught up here...your done list and to do lists look good I'm going to place our GG order next week (30th) or sooner based on pay checks

I also searched and found that Mickey trick or treat shirt...there's going to be lots of sightings of this shirt around...
I love the idea of you going as Wendy for MNSSHP...I really hope you do it
Your Monday AK and fireworks cruise day sounds great
and I think your plan to have a relaxing eve after BB is a good one and end w/ MK before you head home!
J~

Hey Julie- yeah for GG order- do you guys order a lot typically? So glad you found the shirt too- you are right, there will be a lot of "twinkies"!

I love William's birthday shirt!! I just ordered Paxton 2 birthday shirts and I'm eagerly waiting for them to come in so I can post them. And I love your trick or treat shirt, because it's Mickey & Minnie of course but also because I got the same one! I'm excited for Paxton to go trick or treating the first time.
As for your choice of plans, I'll echo others and say I think you should go with plan 2. Seems to make the best use if your time without taking away will's nap. And you can spend more time at the MK on your departure day after 'Ohana.

Thanks - can't wait to see Paxton's shirts. Yep, I think the nap/DTD is the better idea the more i think about it, so already updated the schedule! yep, we can always visit MK on departure day. Plus, we spent a whole day at DL just a month ago and were able to ride many of those same MK rides.

...and we will only be at the same place once during our whole trip! Isn't that crazy! With two very detailed planners in my house and you spending as much time I am sure as the both of us, the only day we will be in the same place is Friday morning in Epcot! We have an Akershus 8:05 and a Le Cellier 1:30 that day, and we will probably spend most of our day in WS so that we can avoid it that night. We will pop out to FW after breakfast until WS opens, but we will probably ride a few things and do a bunch of FP grabbing for later. We are staying at BCV though, so maybe even that afternoon when you hit Beaches and Cream we can plan to meet up.

Also, I noticed you mentioned your Disney visa discount at WOD--do you know you can use your annual pass (mostly) everywhere and get the same discount regardless of value of purchase? I find that to be very helpful when stopping to grab just one or two things here and there as we so often do with little monkeys

We will be doing that Epcot EMH and probably hit FW in the morning, but run over to WS once it opens and spend time there too like you guys are. so if you decide you want to meet up- heck, we could even try and just come over near Le Cellier before your ADR and say hi. We plan to leave Epcot around 1 or just after, so maybe we could plan to meet near there at 1pm or something.

yes- I actually printed out this great sheet that lists all the discounts for AP vs DVC (and Disney VISA), so i plan to carry that with me. I pretty much just ask everywhere we go- "do you take DVC, AP or Disney Visa discounts?" I figured that covers it all- oh and TIW! yep, definitely love to use it when just grabbing a few things!! thanks!!

 

[exwdwcm]

UPDATES

Just a few quick updates......

I ordered our MNSSHP tickets today. Just called DVC guests services and got our tickets for 10/18. It is a discounted DVC night. So it cost us $163 for the three tickets. I was able to use my $200 Disney gift card for it, so I have like $37 left on that for souvies!

I also started taking a few of William's disney t-shirts out of his closet last night. I usually pull out and plan his clothes for the week and leave them in the closet for him. I will probably go ahead and plan out the next few weeks, so i can pull his disney shirts out of rotation to pack! I like to theme his shirts with the park........Star Wars for DHS, Pooh for MK (CP breakfast), Hawaiian Mickey shirt for O'hana etc. I won't really pack those until I can see the weather forecast though.

I did get the nightgown I ordered for my Wendy costume last night, but I haven't opened it yet. I will tonight. I did find a cute Alice costume at Target that was actually a decent length for $35. I bought it, but haven't tried it on yet. I figured it would be a good back up. I need a costume for my mom's halloween party anyhow. I'll try and post a pic this week on both! Not sure the nightgown is going to work though.

Oh and touringplans adjusted some of my crowd levels...UGH! stop it! We still have a few 1's (awesome!) then mostly 2, 3, 4's. But the two Saturdays jumped from 6's to 8's now. ouch! But we are avoiding the "bad" parks both of those days, so we will see how it goes.

Lots going on in life- baby shower this weekend, soccer and I am hosting Bunco at my house next week, so lots to get ready for.

 

[crocko's wife]

We will be doing that Epcot EMH and probably hit FW in the morning, but run over to WS once it opens and spend time there too like you guys are. so if you decide you want to meet up- heck, we could even try and just come over near Le Cellier before your ADR and say hi. We plan to leave Epcot around 1 or just after, so maybe we could plan to meet near there at 1pm or something.

yes- I actually printed out this great sheet that lists all the discounts for AP vs DVC (and Disney VISA), so i plan to carry that with me. I pretty much just ask everywhere we go- "do you take DVC, AP or Disney Visa discounts?" I figured that covers it all- oh and TIW! yep, definitely love to use it when just grabbing a few things!! thanks!!

That sounds like an idea--we have only done a DISmeet on home turf before, so it will be fun to meet someone in the parks

I figured you knew about the discount, especially since you are a former CM (me too!) but thought I would throw it out there. It can get confusing on all the discounts--I think I saw that sheet recently because we were trying to decide whether or not to add the DDP to our POP stay or not--we have it for our BCV stay mostly because it is so easy and we have found that we love using the snack credits for slushies since they cure all types of bad moods

 

[MARsMama]

I concur with the rest, your plan B sounds better
Also, I just LOVE the birthday shirt for Will The Halloween t-shirt is nice too, but I really love the birthday one!

 

[mousescrapper]

Hey Julie- yeah for GG order- do you guys order a lot typically?

well when it's the 6 of us...then yes (sort of) we'll order more in the coming trips as we plan to try and go more OOP and do a DDP segment too This trip for just Matt and I, I had to figure out how to get what we needed plus a few extras to make the min order...kind of stinky but will work i guess...share my order next week on my PTR....

 

[im4kycats]

UPDATES

Just a few quick updates......

I ordered our MNSSHP tickets today. Just called DVC guests services and got our tickets for 10/18. It is a discounted DVC night. So it cost us $163 for the three tickets. I was able to use my $200 Disney gift card for it, so I have like $37 left on that for souvies!

I also started taking a few of William's disney t-shirts out of his closet last night. I usually pull out and plan his clothes for the week and leave them in the closet for him. I will probably go ahead and plan out the next few weeks, so i can pull his disney shirts out of rotation to pack! I like to theme his shirts with the park........Star Wars for DHS, Pooh for MK (CP breakfast), Hawaiian Mickey shirt for O'hana etc. I won't really pack those until I can see the weather forecast though.

I did get the nightgown I ordered for my Wendy costume last night, but I haven't opened it yet. I will tonight. I did find a cute Alice costume at Target that was actually a decent length for $35. I bought it, but haven't tried it on yet. I figured it would be a good back up. I need a costume for my mom's halloween party anyhow. I'll try and post a pic this week on both! Not sure the nightgown is going to work though.

Oh and touringplans adjusted some of my crowd levels...UGH! stop it! We still have a few 1's (awesome!) then mostly 2, 3, 4's. But the two Saturdays jumped from 6's to 8's now. ouch! But we are avoiding the "bad" parks both of those days, so we will see how it goes.

Lots going on in life- baby shower this weekend, soccer and I am hosting Bunco at my house next week, so lots to get ready for.

We'll be at the party on the 18th, as well. I think there are several DISers at that one.

I hate that the days keep getting adjusted on TP - I think we will be OK, as well, but it does have me a little worried.

I love Bunco! I used to be part of a regular group, but it fell apart a couple of years ago - have fun!

 

[exwdwcm]

That sounds like an idea--we have only done a DISmeet on home turf before, so it will be fun to meet someone in the parks

I figured you knew about the discount, especially since you are a former CM (me too!) but thought I would throw it out there. It can get confusing on all the discounts--I think I saw that sheet recently because we were trying to decide whether or not to add the DDP to our POP stay or not--we have it for our BCV stay mostly because it is so easy and we have found that we love using the snack credits for slushies since they cure all types of bad moods

DIS meets are so fun and everyone is always so super nice! home turf or not! yes, i need to review my discount sheet in fact and find a good place to stash it too for easy reference.

I concur with the rest, your plan B sounds better
Also, I just LOVE the birthday shirt for Will The Halloween t-shirt is nice too, but I really love the birthday one!

thanks! i think i will have him wear the shirt on the plane, then wash and have him wear it again mid trip- what do you think?

well when it's the 6 of us...then yes (sort of) we'll order more in the coming trips as we plan to try and go more OOP and do a DDP segment too This trip for just Matt and I, I had to figure out how to get what we needed plus a few extras to make the min order...kind of stinky but will work i guess...share my order next week on my PTR....

we did a small order too- it is only 3 of us. i just did bottled water (36 count i think, i drink a LOT of water!), cokes, fruit, yogurt etc. It was under $50.

We'll be at the party on the 18th, as well. I think there are several DISers at that one.

I hate that the days keep getting adjusted on TP - I think we will be OK, as well, but it does have me a little worried.

I love Bunco! I used to be part of a regular group, but it fell apart a couple of years ago - have fun!

yeah!!!! i think we will be fine- i am really hoping since it is a NON FD week, that the crowds won't be as bad.

our bunco group is so fun- it is my mom, 2 sisters and then some other old family friends that we love and consider family- a mom, her sister, her two kids that we grew up with since we were little. so it is a lot of fun and good reason to get together once a month, drink wine, play and laugh!

 

[exwdwcm]

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

Finally, although work hasn't been too crazy, it still has been busy enough that I haven't been able to keep up. Plus I got a nasty virus on my work PC last Tuesday and IT just finally replaced it today! New PC, yeah!

So what's been going on with us? Well a LOT!!

and we are only 11 DAYS out now!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it? I can't!
here is our calendar- you can see all the days with stickers on them- only a few left to do!

So here are the updates:

• Groceries- Ordered with gardengrocer
• Car rental- done- i keep checking back for lower rates, but I think I am going to stick with my $175 for 8 day rental- includes a double upgrade too, so pretty good (Alamo).
• MNSSHP tickets- ordered, pick up at Will call.
  Will probably do this early in the trip, i know the lines at MK guest services get LONG on a party night. We might even pick them up at another park. I did that last year with our MVMCP tickets- got them at Epcot.
• Will's ticket- ordered and delivered from UT! Already took a pic of it in case it gets lost!

STILL TO DO

• call member services to do our requests (high floor, even numbered room) for our lake view studio at BLT (even numbered increases our chances of a partial MK view apparently!).
• re-confirm my ADRs online
• print and laminate my itinerary/book
• laminate my LGMH tags- one for backpack and stroller
• get Will's hair cut tomorrow
• bathe dogs and wash their beds (so they are nice and clean before my parents dog sit!)
• Take Sassy to vet this weekend- she has a nasty thing on her paw she keeps chewing and it is bleeding now- need to get a cone so she will leave it alone and get antibiotics! DH is taking her to the vet in Oklahoma he likes (he grew up there, mom is there)- cheaper and better treatment.
• finish packing!
• work out my F&W plan- which booths to hit!

So I got a start on packing already. I got all of Will's clothes packed in ziplocks the the date written in sharpie. I usually change his shirt midday. So those are all set. I pulled out some shirts for DH and a few for me too. Will finalize pants/shorts this weekend. Here are the ziplocks!

here is an example of a tag I did last year- sorry, blurry. But i put a lime green mickey on a cute background and laminated with my board name on it. i put our cell # on the back in case whatever it is tied to is lost (stroller, backpack etc.).

i did find two really cute shirts for Will yesterday at the Disney Store- he loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates and also P&F.

and finally- i found a costume. The blue nightgown i ordered will not work. I found a cute alice costume at Target for $35 that is not too short (for once!). I tried it on today and it is cute and fits. I don't know if I will wear it or not yet to the party. DH probably won't dress up. I'll wear tights under it for sure. I am tall and it actually comes down to right above my knee, which is a rare find for halloween costumes! they all so dang short, so i was happy to find one that was actually a decent length!

So only 11 days and I can't believe how excited we are! I cannot wait. I have a lot of work meetings to get through before then. We have a big webinar schedule next Wednesday and my big monthly product meeting that day too. ugh! My coworker that supports the same products as me is out on medical leave until the 13th, then i leave onthe 14th. Talk about a quick switch off. So a lot going on at work until the trip!

oh and a quick note- i had a GREAT dis meet in Dallas with local DIS friends from the board. We raised over $2500 for Give Kids the World with an auction and raffle a local DISer set up with the DIS help! Pete even called in and said hi. I managed to snag this great DVD autographed by Marty Skylar himself! awesome!

So that is all I have for now- i'll try and update my park days- the day by day plan too! i need to hurry, the trip is almost here!

 

[tlenzendorf]

This is why I love other people's TRs! It reminds me of the things I need to do still! I can't believe the trips are FINALLY coming and we have a few from the October thread already there!

 

[mommy2mrb]

love the new shirts and Alice costume....come on you need to dress up, its the only time you can do it in the parks!

great job on getting so much packed, I've gotten a few of our misc stuff in the one carry on, plan on doing much more on Wed!

 

[WDWCP96]

I was finally able to read your PTR. We own at BLT as well although on our last trip we couldn't get in and stayed at BWV which was nice but I much prefer BLT with small children. I love all your plans. Tusker House is our favorite character meal and we do the same with booking it first thing. I love your Alice costume and Halloween shirt. We went to MNSSHP last year and it was so much fun, we hope to do it again in the next 2-3 years.

You will be back at Disney so soon and I am so jealous.

 

[mousescrapper]

coming up fast now huh? love seeing your calendar full of stickers Your to-do list seems pretty managable...I am hoping for a good view on the outer C too I vote that you wear the costume too at the party!

love the ziplock bags for Will's clothes...I dod the same when packing for the kids, works so easy!

lokking forward to meeting you so soon and finishing counting down!