The Over-Planner's Guide to Under-Planning (April & June(?) PTR)

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If you have an ankle injury I can't recommend k-tape enough! I broke my ankle in September and the tape made me walking on our Disneyland Paris trip possible. It adds just enough support for a long day out without getting the "over-corrected" feeling a lot of braces give you. Plus the placement for general ankle strength prevents blisters! other than that changing insoles before a trip always makes my shoes feel a lot better.

 

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If you have an ankle injury I can't recommend k-tape enough! I broke my ankle in September and the tape made me walking on our Disneyland Paris trip possible. It adds just enough support for a long day out without getting the "over-corrected" feeling a lot of braces give you. Plus the placement for general ankle strength prevents blisters! other than that changing insoles before a trip always makes my shoes feel a lot better.

I'll look into that! That'll definitely help!

 

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Am I The Only One?

Okay, I know I'm not the only one, I've been on the DiS since I was in grad school and planning my first solo trip to DLP. Also Liz does it too. But I've planned out my outfits already and I still have 19 days until I head down to Florida and 20 days until Disney and I've already got my outfits planned!

Though, it also helps me figure out what I need to pick up. So, plans!

Sunday: "Rope Drop to Whenever" Once Upon A Mickey Tee shirt, flowered skirt, craftydisney Small World ears
Monday: Boba Fett Love shirt, black skirt, Star Wars baseball cap (just in case it gets super bright)
Tuesday: "Stay Gold" Made to Thrill shirt, shorts, Magicallymade_ears arrow ears
Wednesday: Lantern festival ThatWeirdGirl shirt, purple and pink skirt, magicalribbons bow
Thursday: "Ohana" 2319 shirt, shorts, and fairygodsisters Lilo ears

I'm going to throw some non-Disney clothes in my bag, as well as just extra t-shirts to be on the safe side (heat + babies = I'll probably need some extra clothes lol) but I'm just so excited!

 

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I Hate My Bank

No, seriously, I do. I have been fighting with them all week because my card hasn't worked (shock - it never works) and today is a) payday and b) the day I was supposed to get my limit raise so I could buy my plane tickets.

Originally it was supposed to happen yesterday, but someone misfiled the paperwork.

So, I'm two weeks out from my departure and don't have plane tickets because I can't access my money. I am going a little out of my skull here. I've been told three days in a row "oh, your card should work" but it hasn't worked since a fleeting moment on Friday where in 20 minutes I was able to buy shoes but unable to make a purchase on amazon.

So, will I get tickets today? Probably not. Let's be honest. Am I going to be the biggest annoyance the bank's ever seen? I'm pretty sure I already am.

 

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Shoes- one of my favorite subjects!

I have almost the opposite problem you have. I have very high arches so I used to love wearing heels because flat shoes would hurt. Everyone at my work would be like "How do you wear those heels all day?" When I started supervising our support team about 4 year ago I had to switch to closed toed athletic type shoes and I had plantar fasciitis for a while. I injured my toe at one point and had to have surgery where they discovered I have no cartilage between my foot and big toe so it'll probably always be a problem. Now that I'm a manager and can actually wear heels again I can't because it hurts too much- aaah the irony!

I am not a fan of clunky athletic shoes. I have found that Sketchers with the memory foam are very comfortable though and you can find styles that are more slim. Plus they are stretchy and breathable. My boys live in their Sperry's and I bought a pair for me a while back and found that they are comfortable walking around in all day. They also stretch. I don't know what size you wear, but for some reason the girl's sizes are about half the cost of the women's sizes. I normally wear a size 7 and can wear a girl's 6. But they last so long, even on my boys, that they are worth the cost.

I would seriously consider changing banks! How scary to not be able to access YOUR money when you want or need to . What if there's any emergency?

Planning outfits for each day is one of the highlights for me! Your outfits sound so fun- be sure to post pics of you in each when you get back! I am waiting to find out what park we are going to on the second day of our trip to fully plan my outfits. I'm still undecided on Universal though. I've got tons of Disney shirts, but surprisingly nothing that will work at Universal.

 

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Shoes- one of my favorite subjects!

I have almost the opposite problem you have. I have very high arches so I used to love wearing heels because flat shoes would hurt. Everyone at my work would be like "How do you wear those heels all day?" When I started supervising our support team about 4 year ago I had to switch to closed toed athletic type shoes and I had plantar fasciitis for a while. I injured my toe at one point and had to have surgery where they discovered I have no cartilage between my foot and big toe so it'll probably always be a problem. Now that I'm a manager and can actually wear heels again I can't because it hurts too much- aaah the irony!

I am not a fan of clunky athletic shoes. I have found that Sketchers with the memory foam are very comfortable though and you can find styles that are more slim. Plus they are stretchy and breathable. My boys live in their Sperry's and I bought a pair for me a while back and found that they are comfortable walking around in all day. They also stretch. I don't know what size you wear, but for some reason the girl's sizes are about half the cost of the women's sizes. I normally wear a size 7 and can wear a girl's 6. But they last so long, even on my boys, that they are worth the cost.

I definitely gave myself plantar fasciitis when I fell. I was given inserts for my boots (which is what I wear 90% of the year) which help a whole heck of a lot, so I don't want to undo the damage lol. I don't like athletic shoes either. I tend to wear Sketchers or Vans because they're a little less clunky. I only ever wear my Adidas on a treadmill or on a trail or something. I'll have to look into Sperry's for close toed shoes! I got myself the Sanuks and just ordered another pair of sandals that were suggested for foot problems. I was not looking forward to the Vans all day, so I'll look into a pair of Sperry's tonight.

I would seriously consider changing banks! How scary to not be able to access YOUR money when you want or need to . What if there's any emergency?

I know! I'm changing over the summer. It seems that the issue today was that one of my purchases had been flagged as suspicious. It was to Sephora, and I definitely use my card at Sephora on an average basis.

Planning outfits for each day is one of the highlights for me! Your outfits sound so fun- be sure to post pics of you in each when you get back! I am waiting to find out what park we are going to on the second day of our trip to fully plan my outfits. I'm still undecided on Universal though. I've got tons of Disney shirts, but surprisingly nothing that will work at Universal.

That's my problem when we were originally going to Universal as well! I have so many Disney shirts and I have 2 shirts that are appropriate for Universal! I'll definitely post pictures. I'm definitely hoping since I'll be with a larger group that I'll actually think to take pictures of myself this trip!

 

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How did I not know you had a PTR until now??? You're two weeks away and I'm two months late to this.

And once again we're doing the thing where you are at the parks right before I go, lol!!

I hope you get the situation with your bank worked out, that is so frustrating!! Be as annoying as you have to be, because that's pretty ridiculous. Don't they understand you have a trip to Disney to prepare for??? I'm sorry they've been such a pain!

 

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How did I not know you had a PTR until now??? You're two weeks away and I'm two months late to this.

And once again we're doing the thing where you are at the parks right before I go, lol!!

I hope you get the situation with your bank worked out, that is so frustrating!! Be as annoying as you have to be, because that's pretty ridiculous. Don't they understand you have a trip to Disney to prepare for??? I'm sorry they've been such a pain!

How do we keep ending up doing this??? Hahaha, someday we'll end up there at the same time again! And THAT time we won't miss each other by minutes again!

To be fair, you haven't missed too much since for a month there I thought I wasn't going to go lol.

I'm getting a new bank this summer, definitely.

 

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And Done!

Well, folks, the mystery of the non-working debit card has been solved! It just took all morning!

So, I guess what happened was: I tried to buy something from Sephora last week online but the payment was declined. Apparently the purchase was flagged as suspicious activity, which is super weird because I buy 90% of my makeup there thanks to my super sensitive skin. Also, I was trying to rebuy my Clinique sunblock that helps my rosacea and some new L'Occitane face cream, which are not out of the ordinary purchases for me, but whatever. I had to call and get it dealt with during my 20 minutes for lunch.

Once it was unlocked I went onto JetBlue and booked my flights! Everything is all set flight-wise!

I bought a bunch of stuff today for the trip though! Every time I add another thing to my spreadsheet I wince a little but I know I need it.

First of all, last week I bought a pair of Sanuk yoga sling sandals. I just got them today and am currently wearing them - they seem comfy! I want to try and break them in at least a little big but I'm not sure how much time I'll get in them standing all day before I go. I also bought the L'Occitane face cream and Clinique sunblock finally. And I bought some wireless headphones and a pair of Birkenstock Mayari sandals (I used to have a pair and finally was able to buy a new pair).


In non-Disney news. Guys. It's supposed to snow tomorrow. -_- Tomorrow is also Liz's birthday, and we were supposed to go out to dinner with friends and then go to a country dancehall. I'm also going to a 1920s speakeasy themed masquerade ball on Saturday so I'm less than pleased. We did make a plan for tomorrow at least - if it starts snowing while we're all at work, we'll just head to our friends' house and they've offered to make dinner and for us to get snowed in with them. No idea what will happen Saturday but I'm still hoping that the snow won't come, this is a horrible April Fool's prank a day early, and that everything will work out well!

 

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Two Weeks Away!

Which every good Disney planner knows, means it's the start of the packing process!

It's actually a little less than two weeks away. 13 days maybe? I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but a lot of that has to do more with the fact that I'm not even sure how it's already April!

By the way, those of you scratching your head going "Um, hey, Elle? You know your PTR still says this is for a May/June trip, but you're going in April, right?" To you, I say - I know. This PTR is going to do double duty for this sudden trip as well as one in June. I know what I'm doing guys. (Actually, okay, I don't.)

Anyway, sorry, got sidetracked. So, this is the start of the "man, I really need to think about what I need to pack and buy" phase because omg, guys, I'm going to Disney in like 13 days!!!!

Friday it snowed like i told you guys, but it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It also started later, so I ended up driving over to my friends' house and we spent a nice cozy night "snowed in" at theirs and celebrating Liz's birthday. It was a lovely night - we played board games, watched Friends, made dinner and dessert, and just hung out.

When I got there, though, I had gotten a text from my father who had gotten the mail for me. His text said "you got an obelisk in the mail today." I didn't understand him until I got home today (I stayed at my friends' place Friday night because the roads were super icy and it's all country roads from their house back to mine, and after the masquerade ball last night I stayed with some other friends at their place because it was past midnight and I so tired I couldn't bring myself to be driving for another hour home) there was an obelisk waiting for me. Plus several other packages. Once my card worked Thursday I bought everything I knew I needed so I knew I would get it on time.

The obelisk was in fact my new sleeping pad. Which is...bigger than I had anticipated. It's currently inflating (the kind I got said to allow it to inflate for the first time for 4-6 hours) and then I'm going to have to work on logistics for this mat, because I know I'll need it, but I don't know what the best course of action will be to pack it. I know I'll need it, not necessarily for the hotel room but I will need it for the couple of nights I'll be spending with Em's in-laws.

I got a ton more things in the mail besides that this weekend though:
- Birkenstock Mayari sandals
- new sleeping bag
- bluetooth headphones
- camisoles (I found a sale that had a 4-pack and I wear them under my t-shirts so I couldn't pass it up)

Still Coming in the mail:
- my hard ticket
- Clinique face sunscreen

After going out to breakfast with my friends this morning I stopped by Target. Tomorrow's opening day so we're having a baseball theme day at work and I figured they'd have something simple and nice I could wear. After convincing myself I didn't need a third hockey sweatshirt I wandered over to the toiletries aisle and grabbed all the toiletries I could think of that I needed. I also bought myself some Sun Bum sunscreen - both a larger bottle of lotion and a small stick I can throw in my backpack to reapply to my shoulders and back of neck as needed.

Oh, and question! I know someone may have the answer! I know they've implemented Magicband2 but can original Magicbands with a battery life that's still good still be used in the parks? I have my ticket linked to MDE anyway so I figured I'd just use my old band to save myself the trouble of constantly having to root around for my ticket when I need it for FPs and such.

 

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Keep On Packin'!

The count down's getting there, guys! I leave in, what, 10 days? It's insane!

And, of course, since I can't "plan", I'm starting to panic about all the things I need to do! I need to make a list!

What's put a small kink in the plan (not a horrible one) but REALLY freed up the June plan is that we now have a half day of work on Friday the 14th.

We had a big storm in March, one that knocked us out of school for two days right smack dab in the middle of the month. It knocked my distract, which was already tenuously sitting on a last day before summer break at June 22nd, to June 26th. None of us were pleased, especially because it meant we had to work on a Monday for half a day and then start vacation the next day. There were too many people who already had plans, so we petitioned to get the half day we missed in March onto the 14th, and it was just passed yesterday!

I'm more than okay with it, honestly. It means we have more time to play with our June trip so I'm happy about that at least!

But it means I'm going to lose a little bit of packing time! Though, in all honesty? it's probably best that I get out of work around 11:30 and then pack, because I know myself and if I'm up and moving at least I'll be able to run those last minute errands earlier (because if I were at home I would sit down to have breakfast and it would suddenly be 5 PM).

I also got my hard ticket and facial sunscreen in the mail!

Coming in the Next Few Days:
- green Lindsay
- green Azure
- Teva Original Universal Sandals
- Teva Olowahu flip flops
- Extra battery for camera
- External battery charger
- Packing cubes (size medium)

Still Need to Buy:
- new SD card for camera (mine is MIA and is probably hanging out with my extra camera battery, both of which got lost after my last trip to Disney)
- icy hot
- poncho (also hanging out with SD card and camera battery)

To Do Still:
- Pack! (hopefully I'll be able to pack the majority of my things this weekend)
- get hair done
- buy last few items
- put money on Starbucks app


I think I'm doing well though! Also, Em moved me onto all her ADRs so yay!

 

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The One With the Suitcase

So.

Suitcase.

Today was the suitcase day.

It was exhausting.

I got a later start getting out my suitcase than I had wanted to, so I didn't get to my parents' house until close to 3 in the afternoon. I dug through the storage room, and pulled my suitcase out and!

It was filled with blankets. I forgot that's how I stored them last year.

It didn't matter anyway, because after I cleared it out, I tried to fit my sleeping pad into it, no matter how I folded it. It was just too shallow for it to fit right.

Okay, no worries, right? Plan B, right? Plan B normally is to borrow one of my parents' larger suitcases. The problem? Well, my parents were supposed to go with my father's select choir to Disney for competition last weekend. After a mishap with the airline their trip was pushed back to the weekend of the 21st - meaning they leave the day I come back. Meaning no borrowing their suitcases for me. I did move their suitcases to the front of their storage room to help them reach them. There was an extra suitcase but the zipper was busted and I don't have time to get it fixed.

So. Plan C. Go back to the store I had gone earlier this morning for my normal errands, grab a suitcase, and hope.

Thank goodness Plan C worked! I got one a little taller than the one I usually use, but it's a lot deeper, so I was able to put my pad into one section (I was also able to put my towels and sleeping bag underneath it) and then threw my hanging travel organizer, bathing suit, snapback, and packing cubes into the other side. The only things I still need to pack are shoes (I haven't made my final choices yet) and my daily essentials (brush, makeup, etc.)!

 

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can original Magicbands with a battery life that's still good still be used in the parks?

Yes! You can totally do this!!

Thank goodness Plan C worked!

Good! I'm glad you got your things to fit. I always worry about things not fitting Luckily, I don't think I'll have to worry about that this trip, BUT...

I'm in the middle of a clothing crisis. Like, I do not have anything appropriate for summer temp park touring. And I hate shopping
Well, at least I hate shopping for clothes that I have to try on anyway!! Boo pants! Boo shorts!! This might be a leggings only trip, lol!!

You're so close...are you at like a week out now?? So exciting!!

 

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Yes! You can totally do this!!



Good! I'm glad you got your things to fit. I always worry about things not fitting Luckily, I don't think I'll have to worry about that this trip, BUT...

I'm in the middle of a clothing crisis. Like, I do not have anything appropriate for summer temp park touring. And I hate shopping
Well, at least I hate shopping for clothes that I have to try on anyway!! Boo pants! Boo shorts!! This might be a leggings only trip, lol!!

You're so close...are you at like a week out now?? So exciting!!

That's what I thought with the MagicBands but I was second guessing myself! I already threw it into my park bag!

I'm SO GLAD Plan C worked, because Plan D was sleeping on the floor without the pad and I don't think my back would survive that honestly. I'm usually a super packer because I traveled so much during grad school but this one clunky object lives in my trunk 90% of the time is making things tricky.


Also I feel you on the clothes! I am wearing LuLaRoe skirts for the majority of my trip specifically because I know they fit and that they are comfy. If I didn't overheat the second it's not 65 I would totally do a leggings-only trip!

Yes! One week from now I'll be sitting on my king bed at the Hyatt with a glass of wine (I may or may not be planning on packing a small bottle of wine with me specifically for this purpose) to start my vacation off right! If, y'know, this week at work doesn't kill me first lol. We added a half day onto Friday. Kids already know I'm in Disney mode lol.

 

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The Waiting...

Anyone ever hear "I Know It's Today" from Shrek the Musical? Sutton Foster's whole "and the waiting" lament has been going through my head since last night.

Yesterday during second block I had a kid look at me with this big smile on his face because he realized it was Wednesday. "Man," he says, "this week's going by fast, don't you think Miss Elle?"

Seriously, if looks could kill. He was astounded that I didn't think it was going by as quickly as he did. Coincidentally, the Social Studies teacher on my team just walked into work, looked at me at my desk updating this PTR and just sighed out "it's going to be a long day, isn't it?"

So, my original plan for Thursday-Saturday looked something like this:

- Run to bank, get out extra cash for emergency money
- Get hair done (5:00 appointment)
- Use Friday to run small errands I missed
- Stop by grandmother's house to wish her an early happy birthday, see if she wanted to go out to eat (Friday kind of limits where we can go even though she's well over 60 she still adheres to The Rules.)
- Sleep in late Saturday (read: 7:30 am)
- Pack essentials that I use every day
- Leave house around 2:45 to get to airport for around 3:15 (oh, the joys of flying out of Worcester and not Boston!)
- Get boarding pass, drop off luggage, and go through security
- Sit around reading at the gate
- Board by 4:45

However, last Tuesday we voted to work until 11:30 on Friday (which I may or may not have mentioned before) so that we're not in our (brick, non-airconditioned) building on June 26 but are out by the 23rd. Then yesterday I got a text message from my hair dresser asking if we could move my appointment back an hour. So, my Thursday and Friday got a bit messed up. Now that looks like:
- Run to bank, get extra cash for emergency money
- run small errands I missed
- meet up with Jill to grab a couple things she has for me that we don't want to wait until Sunday to exchange
- Get hair done (6:00 appointment)
- Work until 11:30 on Friday
- Run to grandmother's after work to wish her an early happy birthday


Most of my errands involve essentials - I ran out of my doctor prescribed iron supplements last night and I only had like 4 left while I was putting my daily vitamins and such into a travel container so I have to stop and get that, I ran out of face wash so grab a travel bottle (the only size I tend to buy of it anyway since it lasts such a long time) - but I also plan on stopping to pick up a bottle of wine to pack in my luggage that I can enjoy it on my first night at the Hyatt. Buying a bottle here will be the same price as a glass at the hotel bar, so I figure just get what I like.

Happy Thursday!

 

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No More Sleeps Til Disney!

Alright, so I leave for the airport in about an hour or so. I'm actually kind of nervous - my bag feels a whole heck of a lot heavier than what my scale is telling me, so I'm worried I'm going to have to pay the extra weight fee. I'm hoping that's not the case but I've never had to pack this much for Disney before so I'm nervous. I have my purse and carry-on packed to the gills (I mean, my purse is tiny, so putting my wallet and sunglasses in there basically packs it full to begin with anyway) and I'm thinking of bringing my crossbody just to be on the safe side.

So! This will be my last update until I start my TR! Follow me on Instagram @elleindisney if you want to see how the trip is going!

 

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No More Sleeps Til Disney!

Alright, so I leave for the airport in about an hour or so. I'm actually kind of nervous - my bag feels a whole heck of a lot heavier than what my scale is telling me, so I'm worried I'm going to have to pay the extra weight fee. I'm hoping that's not the case but I've never had to pack this much for Disney before so I'm nervous. I have my purse and carry-on packed to the gills (I mean, my purse is tiny, so putting my wallet and sunglasses in there basically packs it full to begin with anyway) and I'm thinking of bringing my crossbody just to be on the safe side.

So! This will be my last update until I start my TR! Follow me on Instagram @elleindisney if you want to see how the trip is going!

Time to leave for the airport for you!! Safe travels and I'll see you on Instagram!!

 

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Hey guys!

So I'm still going to be updating this PTR for our potential June trip as they're just so close that it doesn't seem necessary to have two separate PTRs for it.

But! I did want to pop in and let you guys know I started a TR for this April trip if anyone is interested:
The Disney Hobo Life! An April 2017 TR!