What are we celebrating - everything - again - Trip report link added

[Ruthie5671]

Congrats on your FP bookings. Definitely try for 4th, etc FP for Soarin' after using your first three. I've had great luck scoring those. Also, if you will be there during EMH at night, you can pretty much just walk on over and over and over (or at least we have but we travel end of January). Frozen will be the tough one unless you are okay with a long wait or willing to trade your sleep for rope drop or PPO breakfast at Akershus. The shortest wait I saw was about an hour when we were there in January last year. We were glad we had a FP. One way to ride Frozen without the lines or a FP would be to book the Frozen Ever After Dessert Party. You can sit, eat, drink, watch fireworks, and then ride FEA when everyone else is leaving the park. To be honest, though, while Frozen is cute and I LOVE that you get a ride photo if you have Memory Maker, all three of us prefer Soarin'.

There are no evening EMH for any of the days we are there. I found this pretty surprising since it is a race weekend, so I hope that changes as it gets closer. I would most definitely prefer Soarin' over Frozen Ever After. I have looked at the dessert party idea, but that is an added expense that I just don't see us doing.

Glad you got your FP. To say you weren't making an warltvstart I see some 09.00 reservations, just make sure Tonys not snoring on them !

I hear you on the expenses, we just had the washer break, the microwave stop working and then the dishwasher broke. So hopefully that's our 3 for a while.

I have no problem leaving my snoring husband behind if he will not get out of bed!!! But my suspicion is that he will be more motivated to get moving when we're actually there rather than a lazy Saturday morning at home.

Yes, we're excited about his college program acceptance - maybe more so in that we can visit VERY OFTEN!

Nice fast pass selections! I know you're not a morning person, but we did a PPO breakfast at Garden Grill and got on Soarin' before the rope droppers came. Then, we did the Land with no wait and went over to Test Track with no wait as well. I'm sure this would work too if you went to Frozen instead. And if that doesn't sound good for the early morning, Soarin' waits aren't that bad since they added a new theater. And try Frozen later in the evening when people are lining up for Illuminations.

That does sound like a good strategy for getting on those hard to get rides. I am hoping that we can get on Soarin' with a reasonable wait time or grab a later FP once we get thru our first three. It will all work out. I'm just excited to get to be there.

 

[Ruthie5671]

I have no updates.

None.

But I feel like I should be keeping the story going somehow. Other pre-trip reports I read seem to have hustle and bustle all the way up to departure time. I do not have that. So instead I'm just going to do a glimpse into the life of Ruthie.

I am driving the struggle bus right now. Friday will be the one year anniversary of mom's passing. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and now months into a year. I'm not sure how one year passed so quickly and so slowly all at the same time. I feel very lost, very confused almost. Kind of like I am living in a fog. It is very weird. Logically I know that once I get past Friday I will feel better. If I can just get past Friday.

Sorry for the blah post. We do leave seven weeks from today.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I have no updates.

None.

But I feel like I should be keeping the story going somehow. Other pre-trip reports I read seem to have hustle and bustle all the way up to departure time. I do not have that. So instead I'm just going to do a glimpse into the life of Ruthie.

I am driving the struggle bus right now. Friday will be the one year anniversary of mom's passing. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and now months into a year. I'm not sure how one year passed so quickly and so slowly all at the same time. I feel very lost, very confused almost. Kind of like I am living in a fog. It is very weird. Logically I know that once I get past Friday I will feel better. If I can just get past Friday.

Sorry for the blah post. We do leave seven weeks from today.

Oh, my friend.....I *so* know that feeling. There's nothing anyone can do or say to make that ache go away, either. Hopefully it helps a little to know others care.

Sending you a hug today.

 

[Ruthie5671]

Hi all - sorry that my last post was so down in the dumps. I promise any and all future posts will have a more upbeat tone.

Can I start with 43 more days? It doesn't seem real that we are about six weeks away from the trip. I feel like everything I have to do between now and then has very little to do with trip planning. Thanksgiving is next week and we are going to Tony's sister's house. Unfortunately, Tony has to work second shift that day, so time with his family will be extremely short. But he gets time and a half for working, so it isn't all horrible. He has definitely drawn the short straw this year when it comes to working on holidays. He also has to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day. The life of a person who is a security guard doing shift work. I also still need to finish my Christmas shopping and of course I'm still working my two jobs. Now that I think of it, we need this vacation just to spend some time together.

I expect our Magic Bands to arrive shortly. I'm eager to see how comfortable they are.

Other than that, life is quiet in KY. It is cold and gloomy here today, but a bright and shiny 72 degrees in Orlando. Just the weather I've ordered for six weeks from now!

Oh, my friend.....I *so* know that feeling. There's nothing anyone can do or say to make that ache go away, either. Hopefully it helps a little to know others care.

Sending you a hug today.

Thank you my friend. I'm feeling better today. Just getting thru the days leading up and the actual day was a relief.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hi Ruthie sorry I've been missing in action, sometimes life gets in the way!!

Well I'm glad you got through last week and especially Friday. You are now back on the countdown to your vacation.

Tony is certainly doing his bit to keep the wheels oiled over the Christmas holidays, he will certainly need this break and I hope he's looking forward to it as much as you. I've just taken delivery of some Christmas mouse ears for me and my daughter. Not that we will be in or anywhere near WDW, but we will enjoy wearing them for fun over Christmas

 

[pattyw]

Sorry you've had a sad week- my prayers are with you! I understand how you feel- I lost my dad this March and I get in the dumps as well.
Your trip is so close!
We're traveling back and forth to Orlando as we plan to get DS settled to start his college program in January. He now has an apartment(he wanted off site housing) We just may be there while you're there- if so, I'd look so forward to meeting up with you guys!
My DH used to work shift work (just got onto straight days about 2 years ago) so I understand the holiday schedule. He had to work a lot of them. Just keep thinking of the extra $$ and what you can buy on your vacation! (dinner, a purse, ....)

 

[Ruthie5671]

Hi Ruthie sorry I've been missing in action, sometimes life gets in the way!!

Well I'm glad you got through last week and especially Friday. You are now back on the countdown to your vacation.

Tony is certainly doing his bit to keep the wheels oiled over the Christmas holidays, he will certainly need this break and I hope he's looking forward to it as much as you. I've just taken delivery of some Christmas mouse ears for me and my daughter. Not that we will be in or anywhere near WDW, but we will enjoy wearing them for fun over Christmas

Yes, I am feeling much better. I'm even looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow, which was not even close to a possibility last year. When we woke up this morning, I told Tony that six weeks from now we would be waking up somewhere in Northern Florida. That made going to work today a little bit tolerable.

Sorry you've had a sad week- my prayers are with you! I understand how you feel- I lost my dad this March and I get in the dumps as well.
Your trip is so close!
We're traveling back and forth to Orlando as we plan to get DS settled to start his college program in January. He now has an apartment(he wanted off site housing) We just may be there while you're there- if so, I'd look so forward to meeting up with you guys!
My DH used to work shift work (just got onto straight days about 2 years ago) so I understand the holiday schedule. He had to work a lot of them. Just keep thinking of the extra $$ and what you can buy on your vacation! (dinner, a purse, ....)

Sorry to hear about your dad. It is definitely not a fun club to be in.

How exciting that your son has an apartment. I would love to try and meet up while we're down there. Just let me know what dates you will be down there.

So let me tell you how frustrated I am about the beautiful purse I want. I got an e-mail from the Disney Store that they had already started their Black Friday discounts. I was very excited because I was ready to buy the beautiful purse if the price was what I could live with (no more than $90 - it is not real leather, so that is plenty expensive). IT WAS NOT ON SALE. It is still the full price of $138. I just cannot justify that price. I'll check again over the weekend to see if it has changed, but for now, the beautiful purse will remain where it is.

 

[Ruthie5671]

Good morning everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving. Tony and I spent some time with his family on Thanksgiving day before he had to go to work. I had my "Auntie Ruthie" hat on and was doting on my beautiful great nephew's and great niece. If you ever need something to cure the holiday blah's, play with a 10 month old baby girl. She thinks I'm the funniest person alive and I may or may not have given her some sweet potato casserole.

New countdown - five weeks from tomorrow is our departure day. I'm really beginning to get excited (hard to tell - I know). I reminded Tony yesterday that I get to take the suitcases out this upcoming weekend. He rolled his eyes at me and then nicely asked which suitcases to get out of the closet. I could easily pack right now if I knew for sure the weather would be warm, but as we all know, January weather can be unpredictable. I really, really hope we have warm weather. I have some really cute clothes to wear for the trip.

I have officially given up on the Dooney and Burke purse. Even on "Cyber Monday" the discounts offered are not on par with what I was willing to pay for a non-leather purse. So I did the next best thing - I went to the Wal-Mart website and ordered a drawstring backpack. It is most definitely not as fabulous as the purse, but it was significantly cheaper. I'll post some pictures when it is delivered.

Still no magic bands. Shouldn't they be here by now? And does anyone know when I should submit my requests to the hotel for room requests? We have a preferred room, but I would really like a first floor room. That is really my only request.

I also checked the park hours today to see if by chance they have been extended. And guess what????? Our first park day - which is Magic Kingdom - is open until midnight. I am so excited. I am thinking about maybe making our first FP (which is talking Mickey) a little later in the day. But I would also hate to cancel it and then not get it back. And I really, really want to change our dining reservation for that day. We currently have Tony's Town Square. This was Tony's request only because of the name. But I can eat spaghetti at home. I really want Liberty Tree Tavern. I might make the change anyway. I'm still debating. Especially now that the park is open so much later than we had originally thought, if we eat at LTT, we're still in the park when eating at TTS, that is practically at the exit. Yup, that will be the argument I will use!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Great news on the park hours. Did you broach the subject of switching to LTT with Tony or even manage to snag a reservation?

 

[Ruthie5671]

Hi there friends! I hope someone - anyone - is still hanging in there with me as we are approaching the "UNDER ONE MONTH" countdown. It's actually 27 days until we leave. But, only 23 days until I am officially off of work - so there are a couple of countdowns going at the moment. Yes, I am driving Tony crazy. Hehehehe. Let's get on with a few updates . . .

The suitcases are out of the closet!!! They made their debut last Friday just as Tony promised he would. Of course I've been so busy at work that I have had no time at all to put anything in them. But don't worry, a few things are at the ready to be packed. Ponchos, sunscreen and bathing suits are the first things to go on. Because it is currently 30 degrees in Kentucky and I do not think swimming is on the agenda here any time soon. I have been stalking the weather channel app to see what the projected forecast is for Orlando. It goes 15 days out and right now, 70 degrees and sunny is the average forecast. Oh please let it stay that way.

I ordered a few things for the van to make the trip a little easier. I got a new cell phone holder so that I can see it better. We had the kind that adheres to the windshield, but the suction cup would always fall off. So I ordered one that fits into the CD player. It works much easier and I can manipulate the music easier. I also got some cup holders.

The Mickey back pack came in.



It's really cute and came with a lanyard that Tony will probably carry with him.

And the best news of all today - an e-mail from Disney saying that our Magic Bands have been shipped. That made me smile!

Next steps are to contact the resort and make our room requests, really put things into the suitcase and get our travel documents together (med lists, doctor names, car games, stuff like that). I cannot believe we are so close.

Great news on the park hours. Did you broach the subject of switching to LTT with Tony or even manage to snag a reservation?

Yes, I talked to Tony and it took very little convincing that we can go to Olive Garden anytime so wouldn't it be great to try something new and exciting! LTT is all booked!

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

The backpack is very cute!

You're making me want to start packing now, but we aren't leaving until the second half of January.

Let us know how LTT is. I would love to try it sometime because my husband would probably love it, but I'm not sure the rest of us would get enough value out of it. The only meat I will eat is seafood, and our daughter won't eat meat at all. The restaurant still looks adorable, though, and I could be tempted with Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake!

 

[JenLanDisney]

Cute bag, Ruthie.

Yes, I'm still following along.
Accuweather.com projects out father than weather.com. But it's never a guarantee, of course!

I wish I had some tips for you to make the days pass quickly...

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I'm still here

 

[Ruthie5671]

The backpack is very cute!

You're making me want to start packing now, but we aren't leaving until the second half of January.

Let us know how LTT is. I would love to try it sometime because my husband would probably love it, but I'm not sure the rest of us would get enough value out of it. The only meat I will eat is seafood, and our daughter won't eat meat at all. The restaurant still looks adorable, though, and I could be tempted with Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake!

I'm sorry that my obsession for packing is starting to spread! I still haven't put anything in the suitcases yet. Clearly just getting them out has made me hush up about it for a few days.

I'm excited for LTT. I am guessing that if you're not a meat eater, it might be a challenge to get your money's worth. I'll give a good report back and let you know!

Cute bag, Ruthie.

Yes, I'm still following along.
Accuweather.com projects out father than weather.com. But it's never a guarantee, of course!

I wish I had some tips for you to make the days pass quickly...

Oh, the days seem to be dragging. And it's not like I don't have 10 gazillion things to do, because I really do. You should see my desk at work. It looks like a tornado hit it. Glad you're still with me!

I'm still here

Hello sunshine! I'm glad you're still reading along!

 

[Ruthie5671]

Guess what came in the mail on Saturday!!!



I was so excited to actually see them. They fit great - even my chunky wrists had no problems with them.

22 more days!!!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Well that deserves a

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Happy Magic Band day! Love the purple one!

 

[pattyw]

I love that backpack, Ruthie! It's getting so close now!!! So excited for you!

 

[Ruthie5671]

Alrighty friends, we're kicking it into high gear now! I have gotten several things checked off of the "going on vacay" check list. I contacted Disney and put in our requests for our room, which was really just the first floor. I also did our on-line check in and requested the same thing. Thanks to my dear friend @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina's recommendations, I ordered a discounted coupon to the restaurant Hash Hash a Go Go thru Travel Zoo. I even got on the post office website and had our mail held while we're gone. All that is left to do is survive these upcoming holidays (remember Tony has to work - I'm planning my Netflix marathon) and pack the suitcases! It is so hard to believe that a trip that literally fell out of the sky 115 days ago is down to 7 work days and 16 calendar days.

Well that deserves a

Happy dance indeed!

Happy Magic Band day! Love the purple one!

Magic Band Day should be an official holiday. The purple one is mine. Tony will be sporting the UK blue!

I love that backpack, Ruthie! It's getting so close now!!! So excited for you!

I love the backpack too. Not as fabulous as the Dooney and Burke purse, but definitely a close second.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Wow. I just looked up Hash House a Go Go because I had not heard of it before. It looks insanely delicious. I don't know how you will decide what meal to experience or what dish to order. Everything sounds wonderful. Wishing we had one here! Will you try it on one of your condo days? Let us know what you think of it, please.