"First Of All, How Dare You" A November 2015 TR! **New TR Link!**

[MarieLightning]

Wow great double team update. It seems like almost everyone is having fun

Thanks! And yeah, almost

Yeah for going back! I am glad it works out and totally makes sense if you were getting to that budget point anyway for another trip to just switch it to be for Disney!

Other than a few sour moods seems like everyone was having a pretty good time and most of the rides were hits with people which is great!

I do love the two younger boys in the splash ride photos!

Sounds like a nice evening too with just the three of you (and then just the two of you) - bummer about not being up for seeing the fireworks from the Poly beach but seems like a good idea in the end so you had energy the next day. Gotta love EPCOT!

We just can't keep ourselves from going back! To be 100% honest, at this point it is going a liiittle over if you compare apples to apples, because we're both getting Annual Passes, but then that's because we're going back next May as well, so when taking in consideration that the cost of the passes is technically gonna split in two. It's just one lump sum to handle now that makes it a bit more spendings than anticipated.

It really was turning out to be a good time, and it got better too as time went on because we started being less concerned with keeping people together and more focused on letting everybody do things their way (even if we felt they were doing it wrong We'll explain that before too long XD)

They have the best faces! I like that their faces for both pictures are basically identical, but just a little less intense on the second picture. They really did love it, too - obviously since they rode it again!

We will yet see the fireworks from the Poly beach someday. Maybe we'll just have to wait until we're actually staying there - so about, you know, 50 years, give or take

Awesome updates!! Chase and I actually saw you and your family hanging around SM on Sunday, but you looked stressed so we decided to wait to introduce ourselves till our planned meeting the following day

I can't wait for more, pretty please don't make me wait what feels like eons again

I wish you guys had come up, you could have taken us away with you! (Just kidding... or am I). But probably it was better for you to stay away from the craziness

We will be better at updating now that we have another trip to look forward to! No more Disney blues, just Disney excitement!

 

[abarriger]

Great updates! Those pulled pork nachos look incredible... I could go for some right now!

Also-- I am impressed at how smoothly you all seem to handle impending-possible-family-drama... Good for you! And it seems like your careful handling kept the trip pretty calm considering how big of a group you brought!

 

[MarieLightning]

Great updates! Those pulled pork nachos look incredible... I could go for some right now!

Also-- I am impressed at how smoothly you all seem to handle impending-possible-family-drama... Good for you! And it seems like your careful handling kept the trip pretty calm considering how big of a group you brought!

Amber really did like them a lot - she just doesn't like pineapple, so although she's dissing on the fact that it wasn't pineapple salsa, and just chunks of pineapple, I call that a blessing, because actual salsa would have been a lot harder to get off her nachos for her to eat, and she still wouldn't have liked it. That girl. But yeah, she did say minus that, she'd have those again.

I mean, to be fair, we were pretty well prepared for drama - it's just a thing that happens. And we'd have the experience of bringing a group of people before, so that probably helped too

 

[MarieLightning]

Day 4, Part 2 - Meeting With Pals

This is gonna be a short update, as it's basically the remainder of our character greet pictures. Feel free to skip ahead - there's another update to follow!

The big boys were next to go up and meet Mr Mouse.

Kameron had a very proper greeting with Mickey.

By the way, for anyone who wonders why I'm referring to these manly mans as the 'big boys', it's because while we were there, we would basically just call them the boys. But see - the little boys also get called 'the boys'.

A mite confusing.

We tried to solve that by referring to them as 'the guys' from that point on, but that just didn't stick. In the end, it just became 'the little boys' and 'the big boys'.

Grandma and Mom went next.

Mickey, such a gentleman!

And finally, it was turn for the kiddos!

Elsye was very excited to see Mickey. She hadn't watched very many Disney movies leading up to the trip, so was only somewhat familiar with certain characters. But, she did watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so she knew the Fab 5 quite well.

Goofy was the next character in line, so we all went ahead and met the big Goof.

No particularly memorable pictures, but he was fun to meet as always!

And finally, Miss Minnie Mouse!

She was very happy to see that we were wearing dresses, just like her.

Hugs for everyone!

And then...

Can you see the love on that little sweet face?

Of course, she had to have her own picture with Minnie Mouse - look at her, all decked out in her Minnie best from ears to shoes!

Time for the family to join in!

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[MarieLightning]

Day 4, Part 3 - Wait, Did This Just Really Happen?

We soon exited the Character Spot and took a small chill break while people used the restroom.

And then, we made our way back out to try and catch our next FastPass+.

(Mandatory monorail picture)

Off to... The Seas with Nemo and Friends!

Hopefully, the rest of the family had enjoyed it since they were getting to do it for a second time within the span of an hour.

If only someone had offered to provide them with the plans for the day.

Oh wait...



Our FastPass+ actually wasn't for Nemo, but we still rode it, since it's really just the best way to head inside the building, amiright? (Unless you get stuck in the EAC I've heard...)

Thankfully, we had no such misfortune, and as soon as we got off the ride, it was time to use up our FastPass+ for Turtle Talk with Crush!

Granted, that basically just let you into the room so that you'll be among the first to get a seat... so we still had to wait a little bit for the next show.

But you know. Second Tier at Epcot is kind of a joke anyway.

There was another small scuffle during the wait for Turtle Talk. While we were waiting, Ramsey took a seat on the floor. Not in the way, you know - kinda just in the middle of our own little group. Well, at some point a Cast Member announced that it wouldn't be too much longer until we were let in, as they were just starting to let in people in wheelchair and such.

Uncle Butch told Ramsey to get up, but he didn't hear him. However, it just kinda looked like he wasn't listening, so, Uncle Butch got him up, which upset Ramsey, which in turn upset Aunt Sarah. By the time we were let in, pretty much everybody was back to their normal mood (except... yeah).

We took our seats and enjoyed the show as well as you might. There weren't really any questions worth mentioning, but there were nice and funny moments through it still. It's always fun to see the kids reacting to Crush.

With that second FastPass+ knocked out of the park, we had one more to use up, so we headed right out and started making our way across the park.

Test Track!

Before going in, we found a spot in the shade for Grandma to sit, as she couldn't ride. We figured Elsye would stay with Grandma, and the rest of us would get on.

Well, Aunt Sarah decided that Elsye was 'too fussy' to be left alone just then (which, I can't say I'd noticed the little one being in any kind of unpleasant mood by that point, but mothers know best), so she skipped it.

However, it was clear that she wasn't exactly in a pleasant mood herself. It didn't help when Ramsey started getting upset again, because as we explained the concept of the ride, and how you get to design your car, he figured that Boston would get to design the whole of it, and so he wouldn't get to do any of it at all.

We tried to explain to him that he didn't have to worry about it, because I could go up to the designing screen with him, and Boston with Amber, and they'd both get to design their own car! Problem solved!

It unfortunately didn't stop Aunt Sarah's bad mood from aggravating though, and she told him that that was just the way the ride was, and that that was it, not really giving us a chance to tell him he would get to design his car as well, which just made him cry, which further annoyed Aunt Sarah. And seeing this, Uncle Butch decided to skip out on the ride to stay behind with her. Maybe to settle her down, maybe to make sure he didn't come back to a bloodbath after leaving her alone with Grandma. Who knows.

Either way, Amber and I were a little saddened that Uncle Butch had to miss out on the ride, but what can you do.

We headed into the building and got into the FastPass+ lane. It took most of that time to get Ramsey to settle down and reassure him that, yes, you do get to design your own car kid.

At that point, there was another small meltdown. Mom had already had enough of the bad moods of the trip up to date, and it was getting to her. She wanted to be able to enjoy her vacation, because she doesn't get that many. Honestly, I think we really just hit out drama wall on the second day of the trip.

In some ways, it might make it seem like a bit of a failure.

But at the same time - once you hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up.

Emotions settled down, and we soon moved in to design our cars! Mom, Kameron and Curtis designed theirs together (though I think Kameron and Curtis let Mom do most of the designing), and Boston and Amber went up to the next station while I took Ramsey along.

This was what Mom, Kameron and Curtis designed.

Very sleek model, yes?

Then, we've got Amber and Boston's creation.

What a cool car!

And of course, you gotta save best for last.

I really think Ramsey knocked it out of the park there (with only a little guidance from yours truly).

Honestly, it's a masterpiece.

Of course, we had to divide in two riding groups, so the big boys went with Mom.

And Amber and I went with the little ones.

We headed out before too long, and went back to meet with the rest of the group. Body count was as we had left it, so hey, success!

We figured now was as good a time as any to start thinking of lunch!

We made suggestions - either to eat in Mexico, or China. I mean, it could have been anywhere else also, really, but those were the starting suggestions.

At that point, Aunt Sarah turned to the boys, to give them two options.

Either they could stay and have lunch - Mexican (which, we explained was very different from what we'd had the day before, but I guess that didn't stick with them) or Chinese - here, in Epcot.

Or, they could head back to the resort, eat at the food court, and then play in the pool.

They chose the pool.

So they headed on their way out.

After spending a sole three hours at wonderful, beautiful Epcot. Not even setting foot in the World Showcase.

And, here's a spoiler for you.

They never came back.

Now, I get it. People have different likes and dislikes. Not everybody will enjoy things the way you do, and you have to let them experience things in their own way.

But that's the thing. They didn't experience Epcot, and they brushed it off.

There were so many things we wanted to show the boys, that we know they would have enjoyed - Innoventions, the games after Spaceship Earth, Agent P Mission!

And you guys know how much Amber just loves IllumiNations!

Honestly, this is still something she thinks back on, and it makes her feel so sad and upset. She had looked forward to sharing her love of Epcot with everybody, especially the kids, so much, and she never even really got a chance.

So we moved on with Mom, Grandma, Kameron and Curtis.

We headed toward the World Showcase after agreeing on which lunch destination we would be going for.

So we ended up in Mexico!

Gotta have me some tortilla chips and churritos, guys!

I actually ended up going with the kids' chicken tenders meal, which came with tortilla chips and cheese sauce. Amber had the chicken tacos, and of course we both got churritos.

That kids' meal? Nothing like Peco Bill's. It's plenty of food for any grown adult to eat, let alone a child. And the chicken tenders were really tasty, too. Honestly, if you're thinking of getting chicken nuggets at the Electric Umbrella, do yourself a favor and head to La Cantina. Get the chicken tenders instead. (Well, maybe not if you're reeeaaally hungry, but they sure did the trick for me).

After lunch, we all made our way a bit further into the Mexico Pavillion.

Mom and Grandma had a look around at the merchandise while Amber, Kameron, Curtis and I headed on a scenic tour of the country!

Once we exited the ride, we started browsing as well. At that point, Mom came over to let us know that they were headed out. Grandma was getting tired, and they needed a bit of a break. We told them to let us know if they'd want to come back in for fireworks, so we could establish a meeting point.

We also ended up splitting up from Kameron and Curtis at that point, as they wanted to explore a bit more, and would probably also take a resort break at some point. We gave them the same message, to let us know where would meet them at a later time, and they went on their way as well.

They did all do a good job of getting a Spaceship Earth picture before heading on their way.

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[Disney Kidd]

I can't imagine going to Epcot and not seeing the World Showcase. It's my favorite part of Disney World! I loved it as a kid too, especially the shop in Japan. I feel your pain. I, too, love to show people around Disneyland, and am so disappointed when they're not as excited about it as I am!

 

[Deirdres]

We were there the same week, thank you for sharing and bringing back so may happy memories.

 

[felynn]

I'm all for taking a break even if you don't have small kids but unless someone is sick go back!

 

[jandlinz]

I'm so sorry you had a frustrating morning. It must have been very hard to plan a trip for everyone. It's too bad they didn't see Illuminations. Elyse is just so precious. I live the Pluto picture!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Love the character meet picks, especially the ones of Elsye with Minnie - those moments really make a Disney trip special!

Turtle Talk is pretty cool and I bet for kids just a really neat experience! And I love it from a technology standpoint ... imagine where attractions like this will be in 5 years or so?

sorry about all the drama - and can definitely understand how your Mom was just getting to that point where you feel enough is enough can we all just try to enjoy ourselves? And I really feel for Amber and not getting to show off EPCOT. Like you said, it isn't that everyone has to vacation the same way but Amber (and you too I am sure) wanted to share your love of EPCOT and then let them decide. World Showcase is something so unique to Walt Disney World it is too bad they didn't get to experience it. Hopefully they did get to enjoy their time at the resort though

I do like the PP pictures of mom and grandma though!

Good note about the kids chicken tender meal at La Cantina - and even just coming with the chips instead of fries mixes it up a bit too for kids/people that get them a lot

Hope the rest of the day went well!

 

[KnittingMom]

Real Life Update #2

The past month has been tough. Disney depression hit hard when we decided that we were canceling our Christmas trip, and the idea that out next visit wouldn't be until May 2017 made it that much worse.

I know, we've been spoiled with our Disney visits - I can't stand the idea of having to resort to every other year, although I know there'll come a time when there'll be a much longer gap between our visits.

But the whole of it made it hard for me or Amber to update this, because it just made us miss our second home that much more.

I coped by trying to put my energy in planning the trip we decided to go on to replace our one vacation this year. We have another vacation week in August, which we had initially planned on using to visit the family in Michigan, but since we're going there for Christmas now, we decided August would be our out of country vacation time.

We hesitated between a cruise and an All Inclusive, and the cruise won over based on price. We looked at a couple of different itineraries, and landed on the Carnival Dream, sailing out of New Orleans on August 7th. I was really excited about this - cruising is my second vacation love, after Disney, so I was definitely looking forward to being on a ship again! We started planning out our excursions, adding an extra night in New Orleans to visit the city, just trying to make it as nice a vacation as possible.

Then, I started looking a bit more into the price. And it just... didn't seem right to me. It wasn't a bad price per say, not for a cruise and flights to New Orleans, especially not with the current exchange rate. But it was still more than I would have liked to spend. Like, if I was gonna spend that kind of money, I'd rather spend it on Disney...

Do you see where this is going?

All of this to say, on Wednesday, we canceled our cruise.

And on Thursday, we booked our non refundable flights to Orlando.

That's what. We're going to Disney World in August!





I mean, did you really think we could stay away?

In a way, it all falls into place. We decided not to go for December because it was too expensive, but I can find cheaper prices for August on the hotel, and definitely the flights as well. So it at that point, it came down to the best of both world - going to Disney, with a budget that fits for us.

We can't view the summer crowds as a downside - we were initially preparing ourselves for Christmas week attendance.

But - the heat will definitely be a different story. I am excited to experience Disney in the summer, to see the summer trolley show. But I do not handle heat well, so that'll be interesting. At the same time, we were planning on going to the Caribbean in that same week's timeframe, and the Caribbean isn't exactly known for being cooler than Florida in August. It's fine - we'll brave it!

So now that we have another trip to look forward to, and it's so much closer than it would originally have been, I'm back the proper state of mind to happily update this TR!

Let's do this!


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I'm so happy you are returning, so I can read another trip report! We've often done summers -- both teachers, so school vacations are too expensive. Summer heat travelling just means a slightly different rhythm, and we are never in the parks in the hottest part of the day -- that is for sitting by the pool in the shade. The parks often stay open late so that you can take advantage of the coolest part of the day.

 

[KnittingMom]

Love the character meet picks, especially the ones of Elsye with Minnie - those moments really make a Disney trip special!

Turtle Talk is pretty cool and I bet for kids just a really neat experience! And I love it from a technology standpoint ... imagine where attractions like this will be in 5 years or so?

sorry about all the drama - and can definitely understand how your Mom was just getting to that point where you feel enough is enough can we all just try to enjoy ourselves? And I really feel for Amber and not getting to show off EPCOT. Like you said, it isn't that everyone has to vacation the same way but Amber (and you too I am sure) wanted to share your love of EPCOT and then let them decide. World Showcase is something so unique to Walt Disney World it is too bad they didn't get to experience it. Hopefully they did get to enjoy their time at the resort though

I do like the PP pictures of mom and grandma though!

Good note about the kids chicken tender meal at La Cantina - and even just coming with the chips instead of fries mixes it up a bit too for kids/people that get them a lot

Hope the rest of the day went well!

I also love Epcot, but it is a really daunting park for a sedentary person. MK has plenty of walking also, but the attractions are packed in next to one another, so a few steps brings one to another sight or shop. If I were not much into walking, the thought of committing to World Showcase would be a bit overwhelming. Norway is a great place for a cheap lunch, and maybe if you had gotten them that far . . .

I also think that people need to train for Disney World -- get out there and walk for 6 weeks before the trip begins!

 

[MarieLightning]

I can't imagine going to Epcot and not seeing the World Showcase. It's my favorite part of Disney World! I loved it as a kid too, especially the shop in Japan. I feel your pain. I, too, love to show people around Disneyland, and am so disappointed when they're not as excited about it as I am!

I know, it seems sacrilegious, doesn't it? It's got so many gorgeous sights and interesting things. I mean, I know they enjoyed their trip, so as far as that goes, it wasn't wasted money. And it's good that they enjoyed it how they wanted to - just disappointing that they disregarded so many things that we wanted to show off to them.

We were there the same week, thank you for sharing and bringing back so may happy memories.

I'm glad I'm giving you some good memories! I wonder if you'll appear in any of our crowd pictures - Amber loves taking those! She thinks it would be so cool if we were to spot ourselves in the background of someone else's picture, so she figures she might as well give other people the same opportunity with our shots

I'm all for taking a break even if you don't have small kids but unless someone is sick go back!

I know! And they were making such a big deal about the pool, too. Like, I get it, you don't have a pool, but did you come all the way here to swim? It's fine for midday breaks, and even taking one full resort day in the middle of your stay (like we did) or more if you're staying longer, but it's just... you know, if that's your main interest, there's really no point to staying on property

I'm so sorry you had a frustrating morning. It must have been very hard to plan a trip for everyone. It's too bad they didn't see Illuminations. Elyse is just so precious. I live the Pluto picture!

It ended up passing, so that's the main point. It was a bit tricky, especially when trying to figure out FastPasses that would be good for everybody, from the littlest one to Grandma who can't do very many rides, but I love planning so I really enjoyed it. And Amber still feels so upset over that - she lives for IllumiNations, and she really did try to sell it too, to try and get them to come back if at least just for that. It only got Aunt Sarah snapping at her that 'they don't care about fireworks'. (Of course, by they, she meant... you guessed it). Elsye really is such an adorable child though, and more and more so with time - we love Skyping with her whenever we have a chance

 

[MarieLightning]

Love the character meet picks, especially the ones of Elsye with Minnie - those moments really make a Disney trip special!

Turtle Talk is pretty cool and I bet for kids just a really neat experience! And I love it from a technology standpoint ... imagine where attractions like this will be in 5 years or so?

sorry about all the drama - and can definitely understand how your Mom was just getting to that point where you feel enough is enough can we all just try to enjoy ourselves? And I really feel for Amber and not getting to show off EPCOT. Like you said, it isn't that everyone has to vacation the same way but Amber (and you too I am sure) wanted to share your love of EPCOT and then let them decide. World Showcase is something so unique to Walt Disney World it is too bad they didn't get to experience it. Hopefully they did get to enjoy their time at the resort though

I do like the PP pictures of mom and grandma though!

Good note about the kids chicken tender meal at La Cantina - and even just coming with the chips instead of fries mixes it up a bit too for kids/people that get them a lot

Hope the rest of the day went well!

They really are precious It was so great, seeing her interact with characters.

I do think the kids enjoyed it, and that FP+ was really mostly for them! Of course, us adults like the little hilarious gems, but you can't have them all the time And that kind of technology really does have so much potential.

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'd have rather never, but you can't win them all XD The family's whole relationship with Aunt Sarah is admittedly a bit tense to start with, so we knew that having everybody on vacation was bound to cause sparks. I mean, I do believe Aunt Sarah and Uncle Butch have experienced some of Epcot in the past, since they had been to Disney in the 90s, but it still couldn't have been the same. And the kids really did enjoy everything we did in Epcot that morning, so I know they would have kept on enjoying it.

Honestly, those chicken tenders rivaled Wolfgang Puck Express' chicken tenders. I love the chips and nacho cheese better than fries, too, so that meal was just an overall win for me.

Well, you know, we were split up from everybody else, so there was less potential for things to go wrong from that point on

I'm so happy you are returning, so I can read another trip report! We've often done summers -- both teachers, so school vacations are too expensive. Summer heat travelling just means a slightly different rhythm, and we are never in the parks in the hottest part of the day -- that is for sitting by the pool in the shade. The parks often stay open late so that you can take advantage of the coolest part of the day.

I also love Epcot, but it is a really daunting park for a sedentary person. MK has plenty of walking also, but the attractions are packed in next to one another, so a few steps brings one to another sight or shop. If I were not much into walking, the thought of committing to World Showcase would be a bit overwhelming. Norway is a great place for a cheap lunch, and maybe if you had gotten them that far . . .

I also think that people need to train for Disney World -- get out there and walk for 6 weeks before the trip begins!

We're so happy to be going back too, we're both so giddy! We were watching Disney videos on YouTube yesterday and Amber had the biggest smile on her face just from watching them, instead of feeling down because our next visit was gonna be further out than we wanted it to be. I'm hoping (and well, expecting, based on past years) for the hours to get extended soon, because right now, they have them posted for MK closing at 10 every night, and DHS at 8:30.

You are very right, it's hard to go from a life of mostly sitting to just walking around all the time. Although, for all Epcot is so large and spacious, I feel that there are so many interesting things at every corner that it'd be easy to stop and take a breather every few step and find something nice to look at while you're at it. We tend to do the most walking in Hollywood Studios, of all places, because of the way wait times fluctuate and FP+ tiering works. It always sends us all over the place.

And I don't know if I mentioned before, but Grandma did the whole of this trip on a broken foot (she didn't know it was broken at the time) so I don't feel it in my to have too much sympathy for anybody else Maybe I'm too close to the situation, but clearly if there's a will there's a way. And in this scenario, there was just no will. Not to mention, the most daunting part of Epcot is by far WS, and as I said, they never even came close to it. But I really should have tried not to limit food options - then again, they're always eating taco bell, and one of their favorite place for eating out is Chinese buffets, so those two seemed pretty safe.

Definitely, and we're gonna set ourselves up for that kind of training soon enough for October. For the family though... well, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

 

[Kelly Anne]

Just binge read all of your trips thus far..... My husband thinks I'm crazy! I really enjoyed reading and seeing all the pictures.... My husband and I are going this sept as we usually do for our anniversary but this time we are bringing a couple nephews and my niece with their other half's. The halfs are newbies never been to Disney as this is my 8th, so I will be planning everything like I always do because I actually quite enjoy it... Although the my husband is not as much of a fan of Disney has I am I kept in mind some of the things you have tried that we have not yet so it gave me new things to do.... Can't wait to finish reading the rest of this trip....

 

[MarieLightning]

Just binge read all of your trips thus far..... My husband thinks I'm crazy! I really enjoyed reading and seeing all the pictures.... My husband and I are going this sept as we usually do for our anniversary but this time we are bringing a couple nephews and my niece with their other half's. The halfs are newbies never been to Disney as this is my 8th, so I will be planning everything like I always do because I actually quite enjoy it... Although the my husband is not as much of a fan of Disney has I am I kept in mind some of the things you have tried that we have not yet so it gave me new things to do.... Can't wait to finish reading the rest of this trip....

and thanks so much for joining in! I hope we kept you somewhat entertained with all our previous ramblings

September is always a pretty good time for crowds! We didn't luck out so much in terms of rain, but you know, that's always a toss up. I've read TRs of other people who went in September (same year we did) and they barely saw rain. Clearly it was waiting for us to show up

That should be fun! I mean, group travels are always... interesting, to say the least. But for all the drama we've had whenever we've traveled with large groups, we still had a blast. It's always a little trickier when you're bringing people who've never been before, it's hard to expect what they'll enjoy and what they'll think corny. People have a way of surprising you though (not always positively, but you know, that's when you take it in stride!)

I really think basically it comes down to knowing the people you're taking. Generally speaking, they won't be different at Disney World than they are at home. So long as you know what to expect, it should be a great trip to be on And the best part is - you've got at least 3 new people to play the Beverley trick on! (Though word of advice, if you're taking MDE, try to distract them from the video. The new loop totally gives it away )

 

[MarieLightning]

Interlude

Hey all!

I'll probably be putting up another update tonight or tomorrow (yeesh, I don't remember the last time I was so motivated to work on a TR! ) and in the meantime, I've been thinking about possibly starting a PTR for August.

I'm actually posting this because I want some of your advices!

I want to make this a more interactive PTR, and a more interactive trip as well.



August will by far be the busiest, hottest time of year we've visited. Thus far, we've stuck to lower crowd times - not necessarily dead times, but still, quieter. Early May, mid October, mid November, late September. Granted, last November was quite a bit busier than it was in 2012, and we had heavy crowd days in October 2013 and May 2014 because of Food & Wine, Flower & Garden and Star Wars Weekends, but I still know it'll be nothing to compared to early August.

As such, we'll need to be creative at times. We'll need to make ourselves slow down - now, that is something we've said many a times that we needed to do, and we never really properly succeed. This time, it's not really a choice so much as it is a must, otherwise I know I'll get heat exhaustion faster than you can say heat stroke

(Meanwhile, Amber will be the one carrying a cardigan around at Disney World in August because she's gonna get cold on the buses )

Anyway.

All of this to say, we need a new plan! And that plan is, no plan!

But I can't not plan. I just can't. It's not in me.

I know some people were upset when the FastPass+ system came out, and when ADRs became more of a necessity, because it means less spontaneity.

But guys, I love planning. Even things that don't end up happening, I plan. For me, planning is half the fun. I like making lists. I like looking at restaurants menus and deciding what I'm gonna eat four months in advance. It brings me joy. Like, maybe on the spot I'll change my mind, but the beauty of it is that I can! And I'll still have had the fun of planning along the way.

Still, I want minimal planning. I don't really want to do a traditional PTR, because I want to be sneaky! I want you guys to come into our August Trip Report not knowing what to expect.

Okay, you can expect Teppan Edo. Come on.

No Big Thunder Mountain though. Refurb

So here's what I was thinking.

I want to make a bit of a game with this trip! We'll have more dead time than normal, either because we'll relax a bit more often, maybe stroll through stores (AC FTW) and talk to Cast Members more often. We'll also have to deal with long lines. Thus far, we've always kinda made it a rule that 30 minutes is the most we'll wait, save a couple of exceptions now and again (I think once we waited 45 minutes for TSMM). And some rides we'll even bypass when we see a 30 minutes wait cause erm, no.

Honestly, I can't believe how spoiled I've become. I once waited three hours for a Six Flags rollercoaster. Three HOURS. I was young and foolish, but still. THREE HOURS

So, what I'd like for you guys to do, and that would be where the PTR would be useful, is to give us small challenges! See? Interactive

It can be simple things, like... find a Cast Member who shares your name!
It can be a little trickier, like... Take a five hours break at the resort! (Hey, that's very challenging for me).
It can be very difficult, like... get a Galactic Hero score on Buzz! (We've never even come close)

Obviously, those are just examples. I'm not the most creative person out there.

And obviously, there would have to be a few rules.

No 'Don't Get Wet on Splash Mountain', because the only way to accomplish that with the ride's water level in the summer would be to be covered in water proof gear from head to toe and I'm not about lugging around rain boots

Nothing that would cost money. Although, we do pin trade, so you could challenge us to certain specifications in pins (back in September 2014, a friend of ours challenged us to trading for the biggest pin we could find). Actually, a really hard one would probably be to challenge Amber to find a Winnie the Pooh pin in circulation that she doesn't already have.

Also, we are not gonna be doing anything like four parks in one day. As I've mentioned before - heat stroke.


So that's why I need your help!

Obviously, starting a PTR and laying down this plan is the easy part. But it's not gonna work if nobody comes forward to challenge us to do anything!

Who'd be in?​

 

[Kelly Anne]

I have been in a July a couple of times and the second was last July and surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be compared to the first time many years ago during the 4th of July... Sure it was hot and there was a lot of people.... But nothing you can't handle as adults, kids on the other hand get cranky quickly so a lot of families take mid afternoon break/pool time.

 

[MAWRN75]

Enjoying your report. Look forward to reading more! You two are brave from bringing so many family members at once

 

[jandlinz]

Sounds like fun. Wish Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Happy... To anyone you see with a pin.
Hand out a Disney sticker to any children in front of you or behind you in any line.