Walk-ing Back to Disney! COMPLETED 10/16! A Fall 2014 PTR!

[Denovagirl]

Yeah for having your trip booked and paid in FULL!!! Now its all the fun stuff.

The Cinderella hat and the Snow White dress are so cute. I too can not believe how big Maddie is getting. They look adorable all dressed for the Rodeo.

Love the Yeti shirts, you are so creative and always do such a great job on your t-shirts.

I know it's such a good feeling when things are paid off and ready to go! Now the waiting!!!! April 4 is our ADR date... it still seems so far off, and then May should be when tickets for MNSSHP, and then still gotta book our flights, so at least I have a lot to keep me busy and look forward too!

No plan yet but I know of a few places we want to eat. Trex,rainforest cafe, tusker house,whispering canyon cafe,kona cafe,sanaa and ohana. We are staying in the cars suite and couldn't be happier!! Today we are buying our tickets cause like you we do ours with taxes every year and this year we are going all out!

Oh! The family suites at AoA look so awesome!!!! I bet you'll love them! All those restaurants sound amazing! Is this your first trip to WDW or have you been before?

 

[spiritsim]

Well Raina changed our whole plan around today......lol After the hrs for sept came out some things just didn't work. Of course I made a tweek to it here or there but satisfied we are both happy now....lol Still going to MNSSHP the 2nd. Our Bog dinner got moved to our last night though so I will have to be carefull to get that reservation as its on our 11th day. So I can't make it with the other reservations.

 

[Denovagirl]

Well Raina changed our whole plan around today......lol After the hrs for sept came out some things just didn't work. Of course I made a tweek to it here or there but satisfied we are both happy now....lol Still going to MNSSHP the 2nd. Our Bog dinner got moved to our last night though so I will have to be carefull to get that reservation as its on our 11th day. So I can't make it with the other reservations.

Ack! Did hours come out!? I didn't notice!! I should go look at my plans now!

 

[naynheath]

Yall I am so excited!!!! We just put our deposit down for our disney trip for november and I already picked our band colors!!!

 

[naynheath]

Oh and terri this is my second time being there but my families first! Cant wait!!! I haven't been in like 13 years!!

 

[Denovagirl]

Oh and terri this is my second time being there but my families first! Cant wait!!! I haven't been in like 13 years!!

Yall I am so excited!!!! We just put our deposit down for our disney trip for november and I already picked our band colors!!!

SQUEEEEEE!!!



I am SO EXCITED for you! It's the best feeling to be booked!! What colors did you pick?!?

 

[STLMickeyMom]

have you seen this...

https://www.facebook.com/DVCCentralCoverBands

new way to decorate your magic bands!

 

[Denovagirl]

have you seen this...

https://www.facebook.com/DVCCentralCoverBands

new way to decorate your magic bands!

AHHHHHH! I JUST logged onto post about that!! Yes! Renee (Naynheath) just facebooked me about those!! I am so literally torn about them currently. They are very neat and clean looking, which I like, and I suspect they will stay on well, but still I love to be original, and the designs arent to intricate and I kinda feel like I could paint something cooler.... I just cant decide!!! Arggghhh.

 

[Denovagirl]

So, if you haven't heard the buzz about these new decals for the Magic Bands, here is the link!! Special thanks to naynheath and STLMickeyMom for finding these and bringing them to my attention!

They look to be only availble to order through FB right now, and are not an official Disney product. But they are basically stickers, that you can remove and reuse btw, that you stick on to cover your band. They seem cute and I dont see why they wouldnt hold up... most are $6, a couple are $10, and the set of the fab 5 is $25. Not too pricey.

Cover Band Decals HERE!!!!!

I really, really love them, but at the same time I feel I could do something more original that will stand out more myself by painting them. I don't know why, but this is really bugging me, I can't seem to decide on what I want to do.

I know these are VERY limited, so if you like them I suggest ordering them now, or you may wind up having to wait for a re-order.

Let me know your thoughts PLEASE!!!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

so as soon as I saw those, I knew I had to tell you about them!! didn't want to add to your decorating dilemmas, but I knew you'd want to see them! anyway, I just now really looked at them. IMO--they're cute, but....I think you could do something just as cute, that's more personal, and that you like more (and maybe for less money) yourself. you know i'm probably not going to decorate our bands, but if I was, I think i'd rather do something myself. that's more fun and creative and I like the idea of that more then just slapping a sticker on. just my thoughts...

 

[Denovagirl]

so as soon as I saw those, I knew I had to tell you about them!! didn't want to add to your decorating dilemmas, but I knew you'd want to see them! anyway, I just now really looked at them. IMO--they're cute, but....I think you could do something just as cute, that's more personal, and that you like more (and maybe for less money) yourself. you know i'm probably not going to decorate our bands, but if I was, I think i'd rather do something myself. that's more fun and creative and I like the idea of that more then just slapping a sticker on. just my thoughts...

I agree completely! LoL! They're so cute, and a good option for someone who doesnt want to put forth the effort to paint their own, but I think I will like doing my own. They are such a good find though! I love them more than the covers that slip over the whole thing bc you still get to see the colorful bands some, and they wont come off the way the bandits and things do, so it really is a good find! I still wanted to share for other peoples info!!

 

[babynala]

Forgot to say the other day that I love your Halloween costume. You look so cute and it is such a fun idea.

I do like those magic band stickers better then the covers, those covers Disney sells just look bulky. I think if you do your own decorations that would be more unique. The stickers seem a bit pricey to me for what you get but again I am cheap (LOL). They do make a good option for those that don't have access to their magic bands before getting to WDW (those traveling from out of the US). They look good with the gray bands but I'm not sure if how they would look with the other colored bands plus once you remove them you can't put them back on so if you had any trouble with your MB and they had to swap it out you would be out $6. Not sure how much that happens these days but my DD had to get a new one in Oct because hers wasn't working right (they let her keep the original with her name on it and gave her the same color) and my dad lost his on the Astro-orbiter in January (he went back and they had it for him).

I know anything you come up with for your MBs will be great.

 

[Denovagirl]

Forgot to say the other day that I love your Halloween costume. You look so cute and it is such a fun idea. I do like those magic band stickers better then the covers, those covers Disney sells just look bulky. I think if you do your own decorations that would be more unique. The stickers seem a bit pricey to me for what you get but again I am cheap (LOL). They do make a good option for those that don't have access to their magic bands before getting to WDW (those traveling from out of the US). They look good with the gray bands but I'm not sure if how they would look with the other colored bands plus once you remove them you can't put them back on so if you had any trouble with your MB and they had to swap it out you would be out $6. Not sure how much that happens these days but my DD had to get a new one in Oct because hers wasn't working right (they let her keep the original with her name on it and gave her the same color) and my dad lost his on the Astro-orbiter in January (he went back and they had it for him). I know anything you come up with for your MBs will be great.

True! I sure hope we don't encounter any issues with ours if I do end up decorating them! That would stink! But it is what it is, I guess. Still 7+ months so they have quite some time to get more kinks worked out!

 

[Dugette]

Okay, I'm here and all caught up. Great plans. I just jotted down a few notes as I went through (and I didn't read comments, so may be repeating something):

*I follow Tikiman on Facebook and he posted a copy of a notice the other day about the construction at the Poly. When they re-do Captain Cook's later this year, there will NOT be a self-serve Dole Whip machine. I can't remember the timeline of when they'll be done with that work and I would think they'd bring back the Dole Whip, but you may want to keep an eye on that. And also just on general Poly construction info, since you plan to spend some time around there.

*I am a big fan of getting ice waters from the counter service places rather than carting around your own. The water fountains taste awful, but the CS water is better (any place with a soda fountain will do free ice water). You could bring along mugs and dump ice waters into them if it's easier to transport, but you wouldn't need to. Or you could bring the mugs or empty bottles if you wanted to mix some flavoring in.

*That is an amazing deal you got on the Duffy bears!!! We paid SOOO much more buying Izzy the big Duffy at WDW. But, she does love it and sleep with it, so I guess it's worthwhile. But, boy, wish I'd hit that clearance!

*Great plans overall! You are much more ambitious than me with your customized shirts and decorated Magic Bands. I'm more like, "Do we have shirts? Did we pack the Magic Bands? Great, done!"

Looking forward to following along. Can't believe how big the girls are. And they are both absolutely adorable, by the way!

 

[Denovagirl]

Okay, I'm here and all caught up. Great plans. I just jotted down a few notes as I went through (and I didn't read comments, so may be repeating something):

*I follow Tikiman on Facebook and he posted a copy of a notice the other day about the construction at the Poly. When they re-do Captain Cook's later this year, there will NOT be a self-serve Dole Whip machine. I can't remember the timeline of when they'll be done with that work and I would think they'd bring back the Dole Whip, but you may want to keep an eye on that. And also just on general Poly construction info, since you plan to spend some time around there.

Oh no! That's a real bummer, I haven't been following the construction much, other than I heard the construction on Capt. Cooks should be finished up before fall. I sure hope so! But what a bummer if they remove the Dole Whips! Even if it's not a self-serve machine, I hope they have them!! If not, we will most likely still venture over to eat there, only because for a QS the meal options were pretty unique! The sandwiches look so good!

*I am a big fan of getting ice waters from the counter service places rather than carting around your own. The water fountains taste awful, but the CS water is better (any place with a soda fountain will do free ice water). You could bring along mugs and dump ice waters into them if it's easier to transport, but you wouldn't need to. Or you could bring the mugs or empty bottles if you wanted to mix some flavoring in.

Good to know, that's most likely what we'll do, just ask for ice water in our mugs or transfer to our mugs, whatever works.

*That is an amazing deal you got on the Duffy bears!!! We paid SOOO much more buying Izzy the big Duffy at WDW. But, she does love it and sleep with it, so I guess it's worthwhile. But, boy, wish I'd hit that clearance!

I KNOW!! They had more too the 2nd time I went to the other Disney Store, but they were all outta the big one or I probably would have bought more for gifts or something!

*Great plans overall! You are much more ambitious than me with your customized shirts and decorated Magic Bands. I'm more like, "Do we have shirts? Did we pack the Magic Bands? Great, done!"

Haha, yea, I do have a bit of time on my hands, but really I'm pretty crafty and usually have several projects going on anyway, so it's just natural that I go nits with a Disney project!! I love making the shirts and they are surprisingly fast! Minus the drying time, all the Yeti shirts probably took me an hour tops for all four!

Looking forward to following along. Can't believe how big the girls are. And they are both absolutely adorable, by the way!

Thanks! It is crazy how fast they grow! I'm sure Izzy is right along with Maddie too! It's so funny to look back and see, even in those few months, how much they've changed!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I can not wait to see what you come up with on those bands! I am sure they will turn out awesome!

 

[Denovagirl]

I can not wait to see what you come up with on those bands! I am sure they will turn out awesome!

'

Me too, I am trying to come up with a theme for each band right now, its soooo hard to commit to something, but I am leaning towards going with a goofy theme for the hubs, mickey/minnie for myself, maybe frozen for Olivia, and still not sure on Maddie's.... hmmmmmm

 

[pepe3penelope]

Thought I had already been following along your PTR so now I'm officially following along. Will catch up...saw the page about the family costume idea! LOVE it!!! Can't wait to see the pix! Have to tell you that in July we are doing a staycation at DLR and doing our 1st DVC stay ( will be at VGC). Soooo excited. I'm a planner like you and was inspired by your previous trip. I bought a large basket I can reuse from Home Goods. I've been collecting Disney items for my DD (almost 7) & DS (almost 3). When we get the room, I'll have my DH stay with kids while I check in. When I call to say they can come up, I'll surprise them with their goodies. I've been taking advantage of sales, including the Disney plush sale. Got the large Lambie and large Sorcerer Mickey.

 

[Denovagirl]

So, I'm not quite sure what exactly inspired me to re-evaluate our touring plan, but for some reason, I did. I poured over my day by day plans, pretty much obsessively, yesterday, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about it I didn't like... here is what it looked like, in (parenthesis) is the predicted crowd level on a 1-10 scale.

29th- Travel / MK (4)
30th- MK (2)
1st- EP (1)
2nd- Rest / MNSSHP (2)
3rd- DHS (2)
4th- Rest/ EP (2)
5th- MK / DTD (4)
6th- AK Early EMH's (3)
7th- MK (5)
8th- Travel / Possible Park Visit (depends on flights)

Things I did not like about this plan were:
- We will be out LATE at MNSSHP and this has us getting to roped drop for DHS the following morning and since we only go there once I want good energy that day, I fear we will be dragging.
- DHS & AK are the only parks we only get 1 day at, and I want the lowest possible crowd levels on those days.
- I am not a fan of early EMH's.... and this has them at AK.

What I do really like:
- This has 2 FULL days at MK
- Has a MK day with a crowd level of 2!!

So after much, much, MUCH, MUCH deliberation, I have decided to change the plans to go to this instead:

29th- Travel / MK Evening EMH's (4)
30th- DHS (1)
1st- AK (1)
2nd- Rest / MNSSHP (2)
3rd- MK / Rest (3)
4th- EP (2)
5th- MK / DTD (4)
6th- Rest/ EP (3)
7th- MK (5)
8th- Travel / Possible Park Visit (depends on flights)

Things I really like:
- DHS & AK, our 1 park days, both have the lowest possible crowds of 1!!
- MK has a party night the day after out MNSSHP day, so we have to leave the park early which basically gives us a rest night to recoup some. I like having some rest built into the day after the MNSSHP!
- In general, this schedule will allow us more rest, which is good since it's a 10 day trip, versus 7 last time! But not all those "rest" spots are long rests, some are just getting to sleep in a little.
- Evening EMH's at MK on arrival day. We may get in later that day, so to be able to stay late in the park would be great! I know we will have a lot of energy!

Dislike:
- Only 1 FULL day at MK.
- The split up of the parks towards the last half of our trip we will only see EP & MK.

Overall, I felt like there were more perks to the new schedule, and the couple of dislikes weren't deal breakers. I really do hate only having 1 full day at MK, but really it was hard for us to spend an open-close day at MK anyway. And 2 of the MK days will be open until 7pm, and that's perfect, really, with small children anyway. So I think it will be good.

We also talked about it, and the hubs and I both agree on switching Crystal Palace for breakfast out to go to Chef Mickey's for dinner instead. We already have 3 other breakfasts during our trip planned (Ohana, Hollywood & Vine, Akershus) and even though it gets mixed reviews we LOVED CM last time! We thought we could try dinner there. The hubs is always a fan of dinner buffets anyway, and they are easy to find stuff the kids like, and we think the kids would prefer to see Mickey and the gang over Pooh & Friends really. Plus, we could explore the Contemporary some more. What do y'all think?

Also, can anyone tell me for sure, on our MNSSHP day, if we wait and go at 4pm, when they start letting party guests in, will it deduct a theme park entry from us, or does it not count since we have the party ticket? Just curious, because we weren't planning on going to MK before the party that day, and we thought if we end up with an extra day to visit a park we could use it to go to a park on a departure morning for a couple hours.

 

[Denovagirl]

Thought I had already been following along your PTR so now I'm officially following along. Will catch up...saw the page about the family costume idea! LOVE it!!! Can't wait to see the pix! Have to tell you that in July we are doing a staycation at DLR and doing our 1st DVC stay ( will be at VGC). Soooo excited. I'm a planner like you and was inspired by your previous trip. I bought a large basket I can reuse from Home Goods. I've been collecting Disney items for my DD (almost 7) & DS (almost 3). When we get the room, I'll have my DH stay with kids while I check in. When I call to say they can come up, I'll surprise them with their goodies. I've been taking advantage of sales, including the Disney plush sale. Got the large Lambie and large Sorcerer Mickey.

Eeeeeee! Glad you're here!!

Glad you've been inspired!

How fun! DLR!!! I will plan a family trip there in the future!! I have been there as a small child, but therest of the fam has not. Thats's a perfect plan on the goody basket! My kids LOVED theirs! The plush sale the other day was too good to pass up, glad you hit it!

Your kiddos are at a great, perfect age for Disney!! They are going to have so much funnnnnn!

You should start a PTR!