I was right, I can't wait! A Sept/Oct PTR

[stephielela]

So it's starting to look like my BFF might not be able to make it. She has a lot of family drama going on right now, and her financial situation isn't the most stable... but we will see. Either way DS and I are going, it won't cost us anything more for her to go or not go, so while it would be disappointing, it would be ok. My only concern is MNSSHP tix. I really want to go, and I was buying BFF's as her bday present anyways, but if she doesn't go, I wonder if I will be able to sell it to someone else? I really don't want to lose that money, but I also don't want to risk getting shut out because all the tickets are sold... ACK!! decisions decisions!

 

[therussells08]

We had the same problem when we went to MNSSHP. My sister was supposed to go with us so I bought her ticket but she ended up not being able to and I was stuck with it. I wasn't able to sell it or get my money back.

 

[stephielela]

We had the same problem when we went to MNSSHP. My sister was supposed to go with us so I bought her ticket but she ended up not being able to and I was stuck with it. I wasn't able to sell it or get my money back.

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I wonder how fast they will sell out. I mean our date isn't a special one, its 9/30, so I wonder if I can wait till August when I know for sure...

 

[therussells08]

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I wonder how fast they will sell out. I mean our date isn't a special one, its 9/30, so I wonder if I can wait till August when I know for sure...

I don't want to say yes and then you miss out on your tickets, but I think we bought ours pretty close to the date and didn't have any problem getting in.

 

[stephielela]

Since there is the possibility that my BFF might not be going, I decided that if she bails, I am going to upgrade DS and I to the regular DP. I figure, we won't be riding as many rides since there will be no swapping, and it would be much easier to have a sit down dinner than trying to wrangle him all day and then for meals too. I had of course canceled all the ADR's I had made previously since we were sticking with the QSDP, so I didn't have a whole lot of selection, but that's ok. I got San Angel for our Epcot day, and The Diamond Horseshoe Saloon for our MK day before the party. I don't know what this restaurant is, so if anyone has any info, please enlighten me! Once I know for sure that BFF is going, I will cancel these, but just in case...

Also we are going to see TS3 tonight!!! DS is in love with the other 2, and he gets mesmerized when he is watching, so I am sure he will be ok in the theater. And if he's not... the tickets are only $6 so if we have to leave, I won't be upset. I'm super excited!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Diamond Horseshoe is the big blue building in Liberty Square, right next to Liberty Tree The last I heard, it was counter service, so I have no idea what they serve if they changed it to table service. They were open seasonally and served things like sandwiches and salads and stuff. I have no idea what it is now if it's a table service, though.

Their menu: http://allears.net/menu/menu_dhr.htm

 

[stephielela]

Diamond Horseshoe is the big blue building in Liberty Square, right next to Liberty Tree The last I heard, it was counter service, so I have no idea what they serve if they changed it to table service. They were open seasonally and served things like sandwiches and salads and stuff. I have no idea what it is now if it's a table service, though.

Their menu: http://allears.net/menu/menu_dhr.htm

Yeah, I thought I remembered it being CS. I think we went to see the show there. I wonder what it will be like...

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Yeah, I thought I remembered it being CS. I think we went to see the show there. I wonder what it will be like...

It's a cute little restaurant, but I've never eaten there. The only times I've ever been in there was staff meetings when it got too cold to keep having them behind Small World

 

[stephielela]

It's a cute little restaurant, but I've never eaten there. The only times I've ever been in there was staff meetings when it got too cold to keep having them behind Small World

I bet you have tons of awesome memories from being a CM. I wish I could have had that opportunity!

 

[stephielela]

We saw Toy Story 3 last night and it was GREAT!!! I really appreciate the way they incorporate so much from the previous two movies. It was adorable, and funny, and definitely heartwarming, though bittersweet at the end. We didn't see it in 3D (like DS would ever keep those glasses on!) but it was still awesome! A great way to keep up the Disney spirit until our trip!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

I bet you have tons of awesome memories from being a CM. I wish I could have had that opportunity!

I do, and I miss it like crazy. There was this one time when I was working an EMH night and our manager gathered all the custodial CPs together and took us on Cinderella's Carousel. All in costume, with our pans and brooms. It was awesome

 

[DisneyFirefly]

We saw Toy Story 3 last night and it was GREAT!!! I really appreciate the way they incorporate so much from the previous two movies. It was adorable, and funny, and definitely heartwarming, though bittersweet at the end. We didn't see it in 3D (like DS would ever keep those glasses on!) but it was still awesome! A great way to keep up the Disney spirit until our trip!

Yay for Toy Story 3! I probably won't see it for at least a few weeks, but I do plan on seeing it in theaters Glad to hear you guys enjoyed it!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Subbing in!

Found my way to your PTR from DisneyFirefly's.
Looks like uncertainty seems to be the order of this week all round.

We took ME from BCV back to MCO. It took about 45 minutes. There are heaps of other threads on the DisBoard which talks about allowing about 60 -90 minutes (although 70 mins seems to be the consensus for a good time) to get from MCO to a WDW resort.

I can't wait to go see TS3! It's school holidays here in about 1 week's time. DH, DS and I will try and get tickets then.

 

[stephielela]

Subbing in!

Found my way to your PTR from DisneyFirefly's.
Looks like uncertainty seems to be the order of this week all round.

We took ME from BCV back to MCO. It took about 45 minutes. There are heaps of other threads on the DisBoard which talks about allowing about 60 -90 minutes (although 70 mins seems to be the consensus for a good time) to get from MCO to a WDW resort.

I can't wait to go see TS3! It's school holidays here in about 1 week's time. DH, DS and I will try and get tickets then.

Welcome! Happy to have you!

Good to know about the ME times! I will just have to be patient I guess!

TS3 was great! I wish DS was better about sitting still, and I wish the theater had not been so crowded, but what do you expect on opening day, right? I'm sure you will enjoy it!

 

[photographymom517]

I have LOTS to tell you! lol

I have been following your December trip report for along time now but just found your Sept/Oct report today!

First, how long will it take to get from MCO via ME to Pop & check-in? I would say 45 minutes. We stayed at CBR and left MCO on the ME bus at 3:57pm...got to CBR at 4:45pm but our first stop was POP.

CS to eat at each park...I would say at AK Restaurantosaurs, at MK Cosmic Ray's or Pinnochios, DHS ABC Commissary, and Epcot Sunshine Seasons, UK, or Mexico (we liked most places at Epcot, but it just depends on what you like).

Hollywood & Vine...is EXCELLENT! I mean, honestly, the food wasn't that great, but I'm not a fan of any breakfast at Disney. Of all the breakfasts I've had, I loved having the buffet at H&V. It was nice to have a selection & be able to get something else if I didn't like what I had. Also, we all like different things & since DS is only 2 years old (but does eat mostly anything) I was worried about us all enjoying the same meal. However, we all ate at least 4-5 plates of food plus a Mickey waffle & all were full afterwards. As far as the character interaction, it is AMAZING!!! I'm spoiling part of my trip report for you, but all of the characters came around TWICE within about 45-50 minutes! Also, not sure if you know, but the characters there now are Handy Manny, JoJo, and June & Leo (from Little Einsteins). Handy Manny was awesome! I had my DS wear his Handy Manny outfit since he's been his fav character since he was around 6 months old! Manny pointed at his shirt & was really good with my son! We had a really nice time there. My DH usually doesn't say many good things about restaurants, but he talked about this one all day (he's very very picky about food too). I know it has mixed reviews, but I choose it for Manny...and ended up getting a great meal as well as great character interaction! I hope you have a great experience as well!

I think I saw Toy Story tshirts at Old Navy...but I'm not sure, it might have been Kohls

You might already know this, but I learned the hard way...I would leave around 30-45 minutes anytime you are transferring from your resort to a park. And if you are travelling from resort to park to another resort, leave 45-60 minutes.

When ME comes to pick you up at your resort the day of your departure, they will arrive 3 hours prior. I had forgotten this from last year's trip so I thought I'd mention it, although you probably already know that too!

You will LOVE LOVE LOVE Sept/Oct. I am completely jealous that you are going during that time of the year! My family goes every year in the middle of September & it is AMAZING!!! Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about it. I will have to get some pictures to show you...the parks are pretty much empty! You won't have to worry about rides at all...most are walk-ons and some have short waits. They rode Kilimanjaro Safaris last year THREE times in a row without waiting! They might have waited like 5 minutes, but there was definitely no need to run & grab fast-passes asap like at other times of the year! They actually could have gone on it 4 times but wanted to go to EE instead...so they rode it 4 times as well. I was sooo mad when they got back last year because I was so jealous...we went last year during spring break & the parks were a mess! lol

Since our children are around the same age, I wanted to tell you what I did prior to our trip! About 30 days prior to leaving, I showed my son Disney DVDs & read him Disney books I also got onto YouTube and searched for the different parades, fireworks, rides, and shows. You can actually find videos on there of the different rides...so lets say you are worried he will be afraid of Haunted Mansion...type it in on YouTube & you can watch the entire ride with him! That is a good determination of what he'll think...although some rides, my son loved watching on the computer screen, but once we got to the park, he was terrified! So, it isn't a 100% accurate, but its a good indication!

I hope my info helps you! Watch for Day 3 on my trip report...thats when we went to Hollywood & Vine for breakfast!!!

 

[therussells08]

I just saw TS3 today and I love it too! It was soo good and I was bawling like a baby half the time! And usually 3-D movies give me a migraine, but this one didn't!

 

[stephielela]

I have LOTS to tell you! lol

I have been following your December trip report for along time now but just found your Sept/Oct report today!

First, how long will it take to get from MCO via ME to Pop & check-in? I would say 45 minutes. We stayed at CBR and left MCO on the ME bus at 3:57pm...got to CBR at 4:45pm but our first stop was POP.

CS to eat at each park...I would say at AK Restaurantosaurs, at MK Cosmic Ray's or Pinnochios, DHS ABC Commissary, and Epcot Sunshine Seasons, UK, or Mexico (we liked most places at Epcot, but it just depends on what you like).

Hollywood & Vine...is EXCELLENT! I mean, honestly, the food wasn't that great, but I'm not a fan of any breakfast at Disney. Of all the breakfasts I've had, I loved having the buffet at H&V. It was nice to have a selection & be able to get something else if I didn't like what I had. Also, we all like different things & since DS is only 2 years old (but does eat mostly anything) I was worried about us all enjoying the same meal. However, we all ate at least 4-5 plates of food plus a Mickey waffle & all were full afterwards. As far as the character interaction, it is AMAZING!!! I'm spoiling part of my trip report for you, but all of the characters came around TWICE within about 45-50 minutes! Also, not sure if you know, but the characters there now are Handy Manny, JoJo, and June & Leo (from Little Einsteins). Handy Manny was awesome! I had my DS wear his Handy Manny outfit since he's been his fav character since he was around 6 months old! Manny pointed at his shirt & was really good with my son! We had a really nice time there. My DH usually doesn't say many good things about restaurants, but he talked about this one all day (he's very very picky about food too). I know it has mixed reviews, but I choose it for Manny...and ended up getting a great meal as well as great character interaction! I hope you have a great experience as well!

I think I saw Toy Story tshirts at Old Navy...but I'm not sure, it might have been Kohls

You might already know this, but I learned the hard way...I would leave around 30-45 minutes anytime you are transferring from your resort to a park. And if you are travelling from resort to park to another resort, leave 45-60 minutes.

When ME comes to pick you up at your resort the day of your departure, they will arrive 3 hours prior. I had forgotten this from last year's trip so I thought I'd mention it, although you probably already know that too!

You will LOVE LOVE LOVE Sept/Oct. I am completely jealous that you are going during that time of the year! My family goes every year in the middle of September & it is AMAZING!!! Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about it. I will have to get some pictures to show you...the parks are pretty much empty! You won't have to worry about rides at all...most are walk-ons and some have short waits. They rode Kilimanjaro Safaris last year THREE times in a row without waiting! They might have waited like 5 minutes, but there was definitely no need to run & grab fast-passes asap like at other times of the year! They actually could have gone on it 4 times but wanted to go to EE instead...so they rode it 4 times as well. I was sooo mad when they got back last year because I was so jealous...we went last year during spring break & the parks were a mess! lol

Since our children are around the same age, I wanted to tell you what I did prior to our trip! About 30 days prior to leaving, I showed my son Disney DVDs & read him Disney books I also got onto YouTube and searched for the different parades, fireworks, rides, and shows. You can actually find videos on there of the different rides...so lets say you are worried he will be afraid of Haunted Mansion...type it in on YouTube & you can watch the entire ride with him! That is a good determination of what he'll think...although some rides, my son loved watching on the computer screen, but once we got to the park, he was terrified! So, it isn't a 100% accurate, but its a good indication!

I hope my info helps you! Watch for Day 3 on my trip report...thats when we went to Hollywood & Vine for breakfast!!!

Wow!! Thanks for all the awesome info!!!! I'm glad you guys enjoyed H&V! I am really looking forward to that meal, as it will probably be our only TS meal for this trip. I am so glad the crowds are going to be low in the fall, sinec we have a lot less time to get all our rides done! i have been trying to get DS to watch a variety of disney movies, but that kid is stuck on toy story 1 and 2, cars and up. a little nemo here and there but not much else. i'm trying to get him into little einsteins, but it hasn't worked so far... we have a travel DVD player so i'm going to stock up on disney stuff for our 15 hour drive to new mexico (and the 15 hour drive back, lol!) This is really helpful info, I super appreciate it!

 

[stephielela]

Well it seems I just can't get enough Disney! This weekend I decided to go ahead and join the Disney Movie Club. We are going to New Mexico later this month and I wanted DS to have plenty of DVD's to watch on the ride. We are driving 18 hours there and 15 back (we have to make a detour to pick up my dad and sister on the way there) and even though part of it will be at night, I REALLY don't want to be stuck listening to the same 3 movies over and over again. So for $21.90 I got Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Bug's Life, The Incredibles, Robin Hood, Oliver and Company, and Winnie the Pooh- The friendship edition. On top of that I decided to break down and get Toy Story 1 and 2, since we only have them on VHS. I ordered those today, and those were not cheap, but no pricier than anywhere else. I am seriously hoping they all get here in time... we leave on the 16th... cross you fingers for me!

 

[stephielela]

I knew I had no reason to worry! The first 7 movies came today! I put them away before I left so DS won't see them. Just waiting on the Toy Story DVD's now!

Now onto the advice I need! I am 99% sure that my BFF isn't joining us. This is our timetable:
Arrive 9/28 at 11 am (taking ME to POP)
Epcot 9/29
MNSSHP 9/30
Depart 10/1 (flight doesn't leave until 3:55 pm)

Here are my options:
1. Currently I have a 4 day non park hopper ticket. We would do Animal Kingdom the arrival day, Epcot, MK on the MNSSHP day and DHS in the AM before the ME takes us back.

2. I could downgrade to a 3 day and not do a park on the departure day, we could just sleep in and recover from MNSSHP and swim and pack, perhaps request a late check out. Going from a 4 to a 3 day ticket would save $6

3. I could downgrade to a 2 day ticket and save almost $70. If I did that I don't know if we would use one day for the arrival day, and then one for the 29th, and then just hang out at the resort on the MNSSHP day till we can go in at 4, or if we would just do the pool and DTD the first day, Epcot and MK, and the pool the last day. The money savings is appealing... and it's important for me to remember that if BFF doesn't go, we are going to be riding a lot fewer rides, since there will be no swapping...

What do you think?

 

[DisneyFirefly]

I think you should go with option #3. With how DME runs and what time you'd need to be back and everything, I think it would just be easier on you to not have to worry about getting back from a park on time on the last day.