It's My Birthday & I'll Disney if I Wanna! ~ A Dec 2015 PTR - COMPLETE!

[kastoney]

Ok time to play the catch-up game as you are quickly approaching the TWO MONTH MARK!!!!!

I'm not normally a complainer... I've worked in customer & client service for close to 20 years. And trust me, I get that sometimes you have an off day, and it's a real struggle. I get it. I do. I'm the opposite of most people... I'm quick to compliment for good service, and less likely to complain... Unless it's REALLY bad.

Good for you this is absolutely ridiculous. On the bright side guess we know someone who will never work at disney ; )

Aaaaaaand still no narrator for Candlelight Processional on Dec. 10th.

That is crazy. *** Disney we got a trip to plan!

One last thing... I've been seeing people talking about these all over social media. I figured since all the cool kids are doing it, I'd give them a try...

...and much to my surprise, they're DELICIOUS.

I tired them too and agree they are good, though I didn't pick up too much biscuit and gravy flavor. My fav of the new batch is the truffled ones if you hadn't tried them. Again, not a ton of truffle flavor but delicious nonetheless.

hope everybody had a great weekend! Mine was short, because work's been crazy. I've been having to hold down the fort by myself a lot, and there's no reprieve for a couple more weeks yet. Gettin' some Overtime out of it though, so WOOOOOOO Disney money! And I have a nice little staycation planned for Oct. 7-13 (assuming it doesn't get cancelled like so many of my leave requests do), so I'm keepin' my eye on the prize, ya'll!

Sorry work has been so crazy, but overtime is always a good thing. Any word on getting a co-worker for you?

Yesterday when I woke up, in my email inbox was the confirmation for three TM Complimentary 1-Day Park-to-Park passes, held at Will Call under my name, to be picked up on Dec. 5th, 2015. So between the three of us, he just saved us $450 bucks!

This is amazing. What a wonderful person to share with you all!

Oh! And I bought myself this, should we have time to do Pick-A-Pearl in the Japan Pavilion...

This is beautiful. Will the pearl fit inside?

ut wait! I'm sure at this point you're probably thinking, "Billie, how on earth are you going to get an earlier BoG reservation this late in the game?" Well... I did just that this morning. I spent the weekend looking for one around 6:30pm (THAT should be enough time to get a good spot for MSEP, right?), and managed to snag up a 5:55pm for us. So a little earlier than I was looking for, but at this point, earlier is better than later. The good thing about the time is that it didn't force me to cancel my original 7:30pm ADR. So yes, I'm holding both at the moment. Don't judge me.

Glad you could get an earlier reservation. And no judging here. Disney ADR's are a game and you're just playing it.

 

[Steppesister]

Just sayin' howdy! I'm still here... ish. School started today, so I'll be back to quick pop-ins as I can.

 

[quandrea]

Hi Billie. I haven't read the thread yet but it's,on my list for today. Have loved your dining reports and your October 2016 pre trip report. We just booked a last minute trip to see the final year of the Osborne Lights so I thought I'd take a look at this journal. We are there the same time! We usually stay dvc but they were all booked up. This trip is Art of Animation, cars suite. Looking forward to reading this journal. I've been a long time reader, first time poster. Have fun.

 

[NJlauren]

My new motto:

 

[Elevationist]

So late...but I'm following along now

Hooray!

I'm also busy reading your 2014 Om Nom Noms dining reviews and am enjoying that very much. The unfortunate side effect is hunger. Lots and lots of hunger

I love making people hungry! It's not hard, since I'm always ready to eat!

oh my goodness!!! (That was totally sing-songy and goofy excited in my head) saw this and HAD to share it with you!!! I'm sure all unicorns or tiara wearing unicorn wanna-bes eat these!

RAINBOW CHIPS??? So pretty....

Say whaaaaat! I would nom the heck out of those! That's totally UNICORN FOOD. (Would probably give me unicorn poop, too...)

Or just pick another pearl!!! keep going until you so! HA HA

Mo, you're such an enabler.

Ok time to play the catch-up game as you are quickly approaching the TWO MONTH MARK!!!!!

Yeah we are! And also WELCOME BACK, LADY!

Good for you this is absolutely ridiculous. On the bright side guess we know someone who will never work at disney ; )

She better not. How dare she!

That is crazy. *** Disney we got a trip to plan!

It's pretty insane how many dates still don't have narrators announced.

I tired them too and agree they are good, though I didn't pick up too much biscuit and gravy flavor. My fav of the new batch is the truffled ones if you hadn't tried them. Again, not a ton of truffle flavor but delicious nonetheless.

I'm not a huge chip person generally, so I doubt I'll try any of the others. I couldn't resist temptation with the Biscuit & Gravy ones, though! It's been 3 weeks and I will have half the bag at home. I can never finish a full-size bag of chips by myself before they go stale. (Or a loaf of bread, or a half-gallon of milk... #singlepeopleproblems )

Sorry work has been so crazy, but overtime is always a good thing. Any word on getting a co-worker for you?

Yes! She starts training with us a week from today! And yeah, we're in a relatively slow time right now, so working the overtime really ain't THAT bad really. I only say it's been crazy because I'm putting in so many hours and working by myself (which doesn't leave me a ton of time for DISing). But with a trip coming up in 2.5 months, I certainly don't mind the OT!

This is amazing. What a wonderful person to share with you all!

Yeah, he's a pretty cool dude.

This is beautiful. Will the pearl fit inside?

I guess we'll find out when I get my pearl!

Glad you could get an earlier reservation. And no judging here. Disney ADR's are a game and you're just playing it.

That's what I'm saying!

Just sayin' howdy! I'm still here... ish. School started today, so I'll be back to quick pop-ins as I can.

Aww, thanks for checking in... I need to do the same thing on your thread! I will soon, promise!

Hi Billie. I haven't read the thread yet but it's,on my list for today. Have loved your dining reports and your October 2016 pre trip report.

Yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying my ramblings!

We just booked a last minute trip to see the final year of the Osborne Lights so I thought I'd take a look at this journal. We are there the same time! We usually stay dvc but they were all booked up. This trip is Art of Animation, cars suite.

That's awesome! We'll have to high-five in passing at AoA! I'll be the big silly brunette on the pink ECV!

Looking forward to reading this journal. I've been a long time reader, first time poster. Have fun.

Thanks for coming out of the shadows, lurker!

My new motto:

I have no idea what this is. For over a week now, about half of the images being hosted on the DIS server have been all jacked up for me and a lot of other people. Even a lot people's avatars are broken for me. And so many of the images people post, I see this...

Get it together, DIS! I wanna see Lauren's new motto!

 

[NJlauren]

Well that is just stinky (I did notice a lot of pics are messed up)

It says diet tip: your pants never get too tight if you don't wear any!

 

[Elevationist]

Well that is just stinky (I did notice a lot of pics are messed up)

It says diet tip: your pants never get too tight if you don't wear any!

BAHAHAHAAA! Maybe that's why I never notice when I gain weight!

 

[Elevationist]

14 days until FP+!
74 days until WDW!
**************************************************

Hey, ya'll!

So over the last couple of weeks, I've been fine-tuning my packing list. Yes, this early! But there's a method to my madness. Doing my list so far in advance gives me plenty of time for identifying things I need to purchase, and acquiring them. AKA: An excuse to do more shopping! But all that being said, I have the more-or-less finalized version of my packing list done. Did I forget anything, ya'll?

The clothing items with stars next to them refer to the second page, which details exactly which shirts, shorts, etc. are to be packed.

So back to my original point... All this lead to SHOPPING! Amazon is loving me this month!

Found a couple of super-cute t-shirts on clearance in my size...

Also got on the phone with Uncle Mark and Aunt Debby, and we all ordered matching blue ponchos...

And @Chicago Mo , look who they're made by...

Apparently by uncle is familiar with the brand and is all about them, and was excited I found these. The description says it's made from a "lightweight, breathable material" (instead of the typical super-hot PVC), so I'm hoping the thing lives up to it! It actually already arrived, and the carrying case with it folded up inside of it is... HUGE. Like, massive. Definitely too big to comfortably carry around in a day bag in the parks, so I'm happy to have the ECV. Typically there's a pocket on the back of the seat, which is where I usually stash my poncho anyhow, so it should be fine.

I also ordered my favorite sunscreen, because they had it for cheaper than I usually find it in stores. (Plus with it being fall now, stores are reducing their sunscreen selection, and this one can be tough to find...)

And of course, while I was at it, I picked up a pack of 10 silver metal 1.25" keyrings...

Which I then connected four of to my new park bag last night! I didn't feel like putting on a bra to model the bag for ya'll, so here's your photo of the finished product...

I think it looks okay! Adding those 4 rings effectively added approximately 5 inches to the strap length. I'll likely carry the remaining 6 rings with me in the bag for the first day or two, in case I decide as I'm wearing it that it needs a little more length. (But honestly, I do worry that any more than two rings on each side, it will start to look funky, but I'll keep my mind open to it... Comfort first at Disney!)

And then not pictured are a lot of much less interesting things, some of which were bought locally rather than on Amazon: Bras, underwear, socks, eyeglass strap, moleskin, another pair of capris, some travel-size toiletries, etc etc etc.

Oh oh oh! AND! I placed an order at MagicYourBand.com for all three of us! You may remember @NJlauren sent me a couple of her extra bands from another site (thank you again, Lauren!), and I tried them out. My yellow band turned out great! But my grey one, not so much. (What you didn't see in that photo on that post and that I didn't want to admit was the ends were all jacked up! ) So I ordered two for myself: A new one for my grey band, and one for the pink band I'll be getting in November. I sent the website link to Uncle Mark and Aunt Debby, and they each picked one out too!

The top left, the pink Spaceship Earth one, is for my pink band. The top right, the silver glitter, is for my grey band. The bottom left, the multi-colored one, is for Aunt Debby's yellow band, and the bottom right, the green circuit board, is for Uncle Mark's green band. I think they're going to look cool! And now that I have a little practice applying the decals, hopefully I won't mess any of them up this time!

Also, do any of you remember months ago when I mentioned that I had given Uncle Mark and Aunt Debby a homework assignment that I would explain later once they turned it in? Well! I'm happy to say, they got an A+ on it!...

See, what I haven't mentioned is that we were a bit up in the air about what to do about a vehicle. We all know my car isn't worthy of road trips. They just have a little pick-up truck that is really only comfortable for 2 people. And we were all kinda not really wanting to pay for a rental car.

So. My homework for them was to talk to my Nana, my Aunt Debby's mother, who lives here in town (I mentioned visiting with her a couple of weeks ago) and see if there was anyway at all she would let us borrow her car for the week. And finally the right moment came, and they were successful! She agreed!

I am happy to announce that our ride for this trip... is a 2015 Dodge Journey.

Pretty sweet, right? I absolutely love her car, every time I go over to my grandparents house, I gaze at it lovingly in their driveway. So I'm pretty excited about this!

Still no CP narrator for Dec. 10th.

2 weeks until FastPass+ time!!!!

Okay! That's it! That's all I've got for this week! Since I've had actually trip-related stuff to post here recently, I shared a pretty funny pants-related story over on my October 2016 PTR last week... Those of you who aren't following over there yet, feel free to take a peek and laugh at my misfortune: I Hate Pants, and Pants Hate Me

Have an AWESOME week, ya'll!

 

[DisneyJo]

Wow that's a very impressive packing list, it puts my few scribbles on a piece of paper to shame and that's for the 4 of us

I adore the pink Spaceship Earth band - it's so cute!

That's great news regarding the car, it looks like it'll be very comfy for your journey down

 

[Wood Nymph]

Good job with the shopping. I really like those tops, too. Your MB's are going to look great.

That is a major score on the use of the Dodge Journey. You should all be very comfortable in that car.

 

[ALEXandFAB]

I also ordered my favorite sunscreen, because they had it for cheaper than I usually find it in stores. (Plus with it being fall now, stores are reducing their sunscreen selection, and this one can be tough to find...)

SPF 100?! Oh, man this sounds great for someone like me who bypasses "tan" and heads straight to "burnt to a crisp". Do you find it to be truly sheer/light? I'm trying to find an alternative to my current SPF 75, because although it provides great protection, it feels so heavy and makes me shinier than a disco ball.

 

[quandrea]

I'll be looking for you at Art of Animation! Wouldn't it be cool if we saw each other. I'll be the one with three little blonde ducklings trailing behind me. I have super dark curly hair but my three kids are all blonde, blue eyed beauties. I have an eleven yo girl and six yo boy/girl twins.

 

[Elevationist]

Wow that's a very impressive packing list, it puts my few scribbles on a piece of paper to shame and that's for the 4 of us

Oh man. It's like I tell people when they inquire about my planning spreadsheets... My brain is a clusterjump of disorganized bullwang. If I don't make extremely detailed lists and plans, then I am pretty much screwed! I need to have it all laid out on paper in front of me, itemized, or I'll forget half the things I need to remember!

I adore the pink Spaceship Earth band - it's so cute!

Thank you!!! It's my favorite!!!

That's great news regarding the car, it looks like it'll be very comfy for your journey down

I am so excited about this!

Good job with the shopping. I really like those tops, too.

Thanks!!! The green one has arrived, and it is even cuter than in the photo, I think! Still waiting on the black & white one to get here.

Your MB's are going to look great.

I sure hope so! I'll definitely post photos of the finished products in November!

That is a major score on the use of the Dodge Journey. You should all be very comfortable in that car.

Yes! I'm so excited she agreed! It's going to make the drive down and back a million times better!

SPF 100?! Oh, man this sounds great for someone like me who bypasses "tan" and heads straight to "burnt to a crisp". Do you find it to be truly sheer/light? I'm trying to find an alternative to my current SPF 75, because although it provides great protection, it feels so heavy and makes me shinier than a disco ball.

Yes, it's WONDERFUL! I not only fry in the sun with my fair skin, but also with my Lupus, I have issues with photosensitivity... AKA, too much sun/UV having the potential to make me extremely sick. Also, I HATE sunscreen lotions... It's like I can never get good even coverage with it, and like you said, I just feel ICKY after I put it on!

But I swear by this Neutrogena spray! I also carry a sunscreen stick in my park bag for on-the-go reapplying when needed, it's Banana Boat or something, but also a pretty high SPF. But with this Neutrogena 100+ SPF, I spray it on real good in the morning before leaving my room, then I'll do a light re-apply when I take my afternoon break at the resort. I still get a little sun, but nothing anywhere even remotely close to burned!!!

I'll be looking for you at Art of Animation! Wouldn't it be cool if we saw each other. I'll be the one with three little blonde ducklings trailing behind me. I have super dark curly hair but my three kids are all blonde, blue eyed beauties. I have an eleven yo girl and six yo boy/girl twins.

I'll keep an eye out for you and your ducklings!

 

[deedee2177]

Love the packing list...I need to get started on mine! We went to the beach this past weekend and all I kept thinking about is the next time I pack up a suitcase it will be for Disney!!! I won't know how to pack for just me and Keith..LOL!

Love the shirts...I bout 3 new ones the other day from Walmart for myself but I might have to check out Amazon as well.

Love the purse and I think the links look great on it! I still think this was a great idea!!!

When we rented a vehicle for our November 2012 trip we ended up with a Dodge Journey and we LOVED it!! We had a TON of stuff because Joey was still a baby so we had all his stuff (boxes of food, diapers, stroller, etc) but we were able to get everything packed in there and the kids were comfy in the back seat and had plenty of room!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I love how you have "Tiara" on your packing list. It's an essential item!!

Cute shirts! And I like what you did with your bag. I think it matches perfectly. I would not notice they were key rings, I'd think it's just part of the strap.

I like that sunscreen too! I should go stock up too.

The magic bands are really pretty! I may have to go get some decals too. LOVE the spaceship earth one! I think I chose a red band for next year. I got a pink one 2 years ago maybe I will reuse that one!

Awesome ride you have there for your trip! Always good to have a comfortable car for road trips!

I'm gonna go check out your pants post on your PTR now!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Wow, you are very organized. Probably a far superior method of packing than my last minute method of throwing what I can find into a suitcase and hoping for the best.

 

[kastoney]

Had to laugh at your packing list. You and I are so different sometimes and then so much the same ; )

Love all the shirts you ordered. I don't know why but I never think about ordering clothes from Amazon. Gonna have to explore some of those sales.

Your bag looks great with the rings. Super score there.

Love those magic bands decals. With your ponchos and the car coup the 3 of you will be all tricked out ; )

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[NJlauren]

Maybe if I had a packing list I wouldn't forget everything!!!

Can't wait to see what the rest of the magic bands look like!

 

[Tracy161]

Billie!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm back-ish I am going to do my very best to be a better Diser... and your trip is getting SO close!!!!!! I'm re-following along