IT'S ALMOST HERE!
I'm officially checked in with Northwest. I'm almost done getting my finances in order. I'm almost totally packed. Best yet, i'll be out of work in four hours!
Michigan is currently cold and rainy. And i'm not exaggerating either. It's freakin' frigid. I got my flu shot taken care of on my lunch. I'm hoping it's $24.00 well spent. Right now i've got a runny nose and a sore throat. Translation: Fall is here. That's the thing about Michigan. Summer comes quickly and ends even quicker. Fall starts but only lasts about 2 weeks then we're in winter mode. It's sucks since I really enjoy nice autumn weather. Thank goodness i'm going down to the upper 80's very shortly.
On the agenda for tomorrow is arriving in Orlando at about noon. Then we hop on the Magical Express bus to go to our resort. Hopefully we'll be able to put our crap down in our room. If not, we'll have them hold our bags and then we'll head out to Animal Kingdom. We've got a 4:00 p.m. reservation for Tusker House. I haven't ever been there before so i'm really excited because i've heard such good things about it from other non-meat eaters. :)
Animal Kingdom closes at 5:00 p.m. so we'll probably go back to the room after that to unpack and freshen up. Most likely we'll head to either MK or Epcot for a nighttime show. I love first days! :) So exciting!
Also, i've decided not to purchase an annual pass just yet. There are some personal reasons behind my decision and I know i'm doing the right thing by just holding off until i'm sure i'll be able to get full use out of it. In replacement of the AP, i've decided to purchase my mom and I tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! I surprised her on Saturday and we went to Target to get some cute Halloween t-shirts since we didn't have time to put full costumes together. It should be SO much fun! I heard it's well worth the price for the ticket and I have no doubt that Disney will pull through and show us an amazing time.
This coming Friday I will be auditioning for American Idol Experience. I've chosen to sing "Leave The Pieces" by The Wreckers as much first audition song. After that i'm thinking of doing either "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer or "This Is Me" by Demi Levato. I'll admit... i've never seen Camp Rock... and I have no intention of ever seeing it. My husband actually suggested I try and sing "This Is Me" for him to see if I sounded good. Unfortunately, that's the song I sound the absolute best on. I sang all my choices for my family and they chose that one too... a bit reluctantly I might add. Sure, i'm kinda selling out but whatever. It's a cute song, i'll get the crowd into it, and it kinda suits me best so... we'll see what the producers want me to do if I make it that far.
Just a reminder.. i'll be tweeting and abusing TwitPic the whole time on vaca. You can follow me at http://www.twitter.com/stacey87
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
A Walk in Walt's Footsteps
For a while now i've been thinking about how badly I want to experience Disneyland for myself. I know some hardcore Walt Disney World lovers that have no aspiration to ever see Disneyland since they believe it can't get better than Walt Disney World. Now, I don't know that for myself so I can't say but I can tell you that i'd at least like to see the original --- Walt's baby.
I'm quite fascinated by Walt's old plans for Disneyland and how the idea even came about. He wanted a place that the entire family could have fun together. Really this was a new concept for people since it seemed that before Disneyland, adults had their fun and kids weren't involved in that. Walt took his two daughters to this little local park and sat on a bench watching them play. It dawned on him that it would be really great if the whole family could have a place to play. Not just the kids! Walt was definitely a kid at heart so I think Disneyland was just as much for him as it was for the public.
Even though Disneyland is older and smaller than Walt Disney World, it has some of the classic attractions that haven't been revamped into something twisted and weird (Tiki Room: Under New Management). Disneyland has the better Space Mountain! I've also heard on numerous occasions that Fantasmic! is better at DL as well. Disneyland has an Indiana Jones attraction whereas WDW only has the show. Ever since I saw the movie "That Thing You Do" when I was a kid i've had a strong desire to ride the Matterhorn. Also, Toontown is apparently way cooler than Towntown Fair in WDW. No surprise there.
The NUMBER ONE reason that I want to go to Disneyland is to see Walt's baby. You should know i'm a huge fan of Walt himself. I've read lots of books and have seen lots of movies on the man behind the mouse. His life just blows my mind. I admire him so much for so many reasons. Disneyland has a tour called "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps." I cannot wait to take this 2 1/2 hour tour myself. They talk about Walt's personal involvement in the park's design and development. He really put his seal of approval on everything and wouldn't let something go public until it was perfect in his eyes.
I'm hoping next year i'll get to make it to Disneyland. It'll probably end up being more expensive than my usual Walt Disney World trip but I'm sure it'll totally be worth it.
I'm quite fascinated by Walt's old plans for Disneyland and how the idea even came about. He wanted a place that the entire family could have fun together. Really this was a new concept for people since it seemed that before Disneyland, adults had their fun and kids weren't involved in that. Walt took his two daughters to this little local park and sat on a bench watching them play. It dawned on him that it would be really great if the whole family could have a place to play. Not just the kids! Walt was definitely a kid at heart so I think Disneyland was just as much for him as it was for the public.
Even though Disneyland is older and smaller than Walt Disney World, it has some of the classic attractions that haven't been revamped into something twisted and weird (Tiki Room: Under New Management). Disneyland has the better Space Mountain! I've also heard on numerous occasions that Fantasmic! is better at DL as well. Disneyland has an Indiana Jones attraction whereas WDW only has the show. Ever since I saw the movie "That Thing You Do" when I was a kid i've had a strong desire to ride the Matterhorn. Also, Toontown is apparently way cooler than Towntown Fair in WDW. No surprise there.
The NUMBER ONE reason that I want to go to Disneyland is to see Walt's baby. You should know i'm a huge fan of Walt himself. I've read lots of books and have seen lots of movies on the man behind the mouse. His life just blows my mind. I admire him so much for so many reasons. Disneyland has a tour called "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps." I cannot wait to take this 2 1/2 hour tour myself. They talk about Walt's personal involvement in the park's design and development. He really put his seal of approval on everything and wouldn't let something go public until it was perfect in his eyes.
I'm hoping next year i'll get to make it to Disneyland. It'll probably end up being more expensive than my usual Walt Disney World trip but I'm sure it'll totally be worth it.
Upcoming WDW Discounts
It appears as though Disney is going to be throwing out the amazingly awesome Buy-4-Get-7 deal. They did this a little while back and everyone was going gaga over it simply because it's a pretty nice deal. It's especially nice for families that normally only go for 4 days simply because they can't afford any more days. Truthfully, you can't tour the parks in 4 days... but, hey, that's just my opinion.
Value resorts will get a slightly different deal... buy-5-get-7. Makes sense... values are significantly less expensive and Disney would be losing some money and overbooking big time if the value resorts had the buy-4-get-7. Economically, you get the better deal if you book a moderate or deluxe resort with this particular deal.
I'm sure that you'll be paying rack rate for the room but in the end you should come out ahead. If you're an AP holder you'll probably have to do the math to figure out if a possible AP discount could be more to your advantage overall.
Last year when Disney put this discount out they also included a gift card for certain dates. It was January through March (I do believe...) got $200.00. Not per person but per room booking. Good deal if you ask me! If you're going in January *cough*Graham and Jill*cough* then this deal is AMAZINGGG.
Now on a personal note, i'm thinking of skipping a WDW trip in 2010. One of my very best friends from high school was an exchange student from Poland. She's finishing her final year in college in Buxton. I'm thinking about doing a 2 week vacation in Europe. Going to Manchester, London, then Poland. I haven't seen her in years and we still keep in touch. If I came across an amazing deal or someone could pay for me to go to WDW then I could do both. But, until then, i'm just not sure. I'll have to price out the European trip and we'll see.
Value resorts will get a slightly different deal... buy-5-get-7. Makes sense... values are significantly less expensive and Disney would be losing some money and overbooking big time if the value resorts had the buy-4-get-7. Economically, you get the better deal if you book a moderate or deluxe resort with this particular deal.
I'm sure that you'll be paying rack rate for the room but in the end you should come out ahead. If you're an AP holder you'll probably have to do the math to figure out if a possible AP discount could be more to your advantage overall.
Last year when Disney put this discount out they also included a gift card for certain dates. It was January through March (I do believe...) got $200.00. Not per person but per room booking. Good deal if you ask me! If you're going in January *cough*Graham and Jill*cough* then this deal is AMAZINGGG.
Now on a personal note, i'm thinking of skipping a WDW trip in 2010. One of my very best friends from high school was an exchange student from Poland. She's finishing her final year in college in Buxton. I'm thinking about doing a 2 week vacation in Europe. Going to Manchester, London, then Poland. I haven't seen her in years and we still keep in touch. If I came across an amazing deal or someone could pay for me to go to WDW then I could do both. But, until then, i'm just not sure. I'll have to price out the European trip and we'll see.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Entertainment in WDW
On my last trip to WDW I was pretty focused on allowing my mom to experience her favorite attractions along with anything new that she hadn't seen. We didn't spend a lot of time looking for characters or stopping to watch street performers.
Mom expressed interest in meeting more characters this time and I happily agreed with her. I'd love to find some of the characters that I haven't ever met before. Sadly, WDW entertainment has cut down on how many characters you see out and about. You also won't see some of the less "popular' characters around doing meet and greets anymore.
While reading my 2010 Unofficial Guide I found a really cool website that tells you where to go at what time to find character greetings as well as street performances. This guy updates the website every week and puts lots of information on it and is really well organized. Now, he can't specifically tell you what character will be where at what time but he informs you of your best shot of seeing them. Here's the link --- http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/
If you have a specific character that you or a family member wants to meet you should check with Guest Relations at the front of any of the four main parks and they can try and track down where you're beloved character will be that day. I haven't done this myself but i've heard of people doing it.
I have a strong desire to meet Hercules characters. STRONG desire! Unfortunately for me, Hercules and Meg don't come out anymore and the only time you'll even be able to SEE them now is during Fantasmic. The villain I most want to me is, ironically enough, from Hercules. That'd be my buddy from the underworld... Hades. He's a comedic genius!
When mom and I will be at WDW this year they have the Food and Wine Festival going on. They have a concert series called "Eat to the Beat." For the days that we will be there we've got three performers we could go see.
Richard Marx September 28-29
Starship Starring Mickey Thomas September 30-October 3
En Vogue October 4-6
Mom really wants to see Starship and I would LOVE to see En Vogue. I grew up listening to En Vogue and thinking they were so cool. Oh! And hey! Kelly Clarkson performed with them back in the day! Woooo! Free Your Mind!
Mom expressed interest in meeting more characters this time and I happily agreed with her. I'd love to find some of the characters that I haven't ever met before. Sadly, WDW entertainment has cut down on how many characters you see out and about. You also won't see some of the less "popular' characters around doing meet and greets anymore.
While reading my 2010 Unofficial Guide I found a really cool website that tells you where to go at what time to find character greetings as well as street performances. This guy updates the website every week and puts lots of information on it and is really well organized. Now, he can't specifically tell you what character will be where at what time but he informs you of your best shot of seeing them. Here's the link --- http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/
If you have a specific character that you or a family member wants to meet you should check with Guest Relations at the front of any of the four main parks and they can try and track down where you're beloved character will be that day. I haven't done this myself but i've heard of people doing it.
I have a strong desire to meet Hercules characters. STRONG desire! Unfortunately for me, Hercules and Meg don't come out anymore and the only time you'll even be able to SEE them now is during Fantasmic. The villain I most want to me is, ironically enough, from Hercules. That'd be my buddy from the underworld... Hades. He's a comedic genius!
When mom and I will be at WDW this year they have the Food and Wine Festival going on. They have a concert series called "Eat to the Beat." For the days that we will be there we've got three performers we could go see.
Richard Marx September 28-29
Starship Starring Mickey Thomas September 30-October 3
En Vogue October 4-6
Mom really wants to see Starship and I would LOVE to see En Vogue. I grew up listening to En Vogue and thinking they were so cool. Oh! And hey! Kelly Clarkson performed with them back in the day! Woooo! Free Your Mind!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
One Week To Go!
IT'S OFFICIAL Y'ALL!
ONE WEEK TO GO!
I can't believe i'm one week away from being in the happiest place on earth! :) Leaving Michigan for a week simply sounds amazing. I'm excited to have one full week of summer weather since Michigan basically had a warmer version of fall in replacement of a traditional summer. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me!
I brought my WDW planning binder to work with me today because I need to get all of my documents organized and put together. Sadly, Disneyworld.com is still not fully running properly so I can't even pull up my reservation on there and attach my dining reservations. I must have written TWO of my confirmation numbers down wrong so I'm just going to have to not have a confirmations number on my itinerary for those days. Ugh. I hate not feeling like I have all of the information. Gotta learn to lose control I suppose and throw caution to the wind.
Every WDW trip I seem to have an overall "theme" or a "goal" that I want to achieve. This time I sort of feel like I want to literally have as much fun as possible. Stay as busy and consumed in the Disney magic as possible. I want to be able to drain my brain before I hop on that plane and leave all my worries in Michigan. Now, traditionally I suggest to friends that they don't try and run from their problems but in this case... a little vacation is exactly what I need. Maybe to find some clarity and new found appreciation for life. I just want to do exactly what I want when I want and not have to live on this silly schedule that I do in my everyday life.
Is it terribly weird of me to say that i'm really stoked to eat good food? And I don't just mean "good food." I mean "Gooooood fooooood." There is a subtle yet very important difference. I mean, i'm going to be filled up with tofu, salmon, and cheesecake. It's going to be pure heaven. I really feel like talking about food... I think I need a double blog day just so I can talk about what i'm thinking of ordering at each restaurant. Yeah, folks! I've already thought about that! How could I not?!
That's it for now guys! Feel free to ask me questions or leave me comments!
ONE WEEK!
ONE WEEK TO GO!
I can't believe i'm one week away from being in the happiest place on earth! :) Leaving Michigan for a week simply sounds amazing. I'm excited to have one full week of summer weather since Michigan basically had a warmer version of fall in replacement of a traditional summer. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me!
I brought my WDW planning binder to work with me today because I need to get all of my documents organized and put together. Sadly, Disneyworld.com is still not fully running properly so I can't even pull up my reservation on there and attach my dining reservations. I must have written TWO of my confirmation numbers down wrong so I'm just going to have to not have a confirmations number on my itinerary for those days. Ugh. I hate not feeling like I have all of the information. Gotta learn to lose control I suppose and throw caution to the wind.
Every WDW trip I seem to have an overall "theme" or a "goal" that I want to achieve. This time I sort of feel like I want to literally have as much fun as possible. Stay as busy and consumed in the Disney magic as possible. I want to be able to drain my brain before I hop on that plane and leave all my worries in Michigan. Now, traditionally I suggest to friends that they don't try and run from their problems but in this case... a little vacation is exactly what I need. Maybe to find some clarity and new found appreciation for life. I just want to do exactly what I want when I want and not have to live on this silly schedule that I do in my everyday life.
Is it terribly weird of me to say that i'm really stoked to eat good food? And I don't just mean "good food." I mean "Gooooood fooooood." There is a subtle yet very important difference. I mean, i'm going to be filled up with tofu, salmon, and cheesecake. It's going to be pure heaven. I really feel like talking about food... I think I need a double blog day just so I can talk about what i'm thinking of ordering at each restaurant. Yeah, folks! I've already thought about that! How could I not?!
That's it for now guys! Feel free to ask me questions or leave me comments!
ONE WEEK!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Getting The Most Out Of Your WDW Vacation Time
The average WDW vacationing family does not have a full two weeks to take their time inside and outside of the WDW theme parks. Most families don't even have 6 or 7 days days! Often times people visit WDW just because they are passing through the area or are there to visit other popular Orlando attractions and they want to get a taste of what WDW has to offer.
No matter how long you are at 'the land of the mouse' for you definitely want to get the most out of your time there. You want to see as much and do as much as you possibly can. That is why the absolute best way (in my opinion) to tour WDW is to become an "early riser."
Arriving early at the parks is crucial to getting your big "headlining" attractions out of the way with little to no wait at all. The Official Guide (the bible) suggests that you can experience four rides in one hour in the early morning that would take you three hours to accomplish after 10:30 a.m. That's a lot of time you just saved by getting your tush up a little bit earlier. So many people leave WDW and think, "Wow! I missed out on this and this and this! We never got around to all of that!"
In my personal experience I know that i've went to AK and knocked out KS and EE (3 times in the single rider line) all before 10:00 a.m. because my mom and I were there about 30 minutes before park opening. At Epcot it's much easier to waste your time away just because there is so much walking and if you aren't familar with where everything is it's easy to get misplaced. The Studios and Magic Kingdom are the hardest to choose where to go to first thing after park opening. I'm not sure what the Unofficial Guide is suggesting for 2010 but I would say go for Toy Story Mania at DHS and Space Mountain at MK. A lot of people grab a FASTPASS before riding anything and I just don't bother doing that until i've gotten my first ride outta the way. It's not quite as fun knowing you're running towards a FASTPASS kiosk and not an amazing attraction. haha! ;)
I'm sure you're thinking, "Okay, Nazi Stacey! What time do YOU get to the parks?" Well, if i'm going by standard opening time which is normally 9:00 a.m.... I try to get one of the first WDW Transport busses. If i'm ahead of my game I end up waiting on the first bus at the bus stop and enjoy my muffin that I grabbed from the food court using a snack credit from the DDP. :) Magic Kingdom always takes longer to get to from Pop so I have to make sure i'm on one of the first busses for that park but i'm much more lax when it comes to DHS or EP since it's always a fast drive there. Let me just break down my tips... park by park.
Magic Kingdom - Get to the turnstiles (yes, turnstiles) at least 30 minutes before park opening. You'll be brought up to the main entrance to MK. There are TWO ways to get inside of the park. One tunnel is on the left and the other is... on the right. ;) The one you want to head towards is the one with less people and less STROLLERS! Not kidding folks! Strollers will slow you down when it's time to move. This goes for any park... not just MK. After the little opening show shin-dig the ropes are dropped and you are allowed to move into MK. Don't be distracted by the good smells of the bakery if you have your heart set on a certain attraction. Move quickly down Main Street and you'll probably be stopped at the entrance to the land you're approaching. Once 9:00 a.m. hits you'll be walked to the main attraction of that particular land. Keep moving and dodging people. Sometimes staying on the sides and not in the center of the crowd will allow you to be ahead of the pack when the CMs move out of your way.
Epcot - This is the easiest park to lose your place in. Even if you get there 45 minutes or more before park opening and you're right at the rope... you could lose your bearings very quickly if you don't move fast. It's pretty crucial to get to Epcot early since the addition of Soarin'. The line for Soarin' can quickly build and make it impossible to knock out the top attractions very quickly in the morning. When the first rope is dropped and you are allowed past Spaceship Earth... stay on the right! Move quickly up to the center hub and take a right to the little side hub. Ignore the big crowd that will go to the center hub itself. They are dumb and don't know better or are headed for Test Track. Once the rope is dropped at your side "hub" follow the CMs into The Land pavilion and head for the stairs on the back right section of the pavilion. Don't bother with the escalators... use the stairs and head to Soarin' which will be past the waving and cheering CMs on your right. You're good to go!
Disney's Hollywood Studios - With the recent addition of Toy Story Mania it's no longer an obvious move to head towards Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster. Your best bet is to head over to Toy Story Mania now and either ride right away or obtain a FASTPASS. I try and get to DHS about 30 minutes before park opening... if not earlier. The entertainment crew does an awesome park opening show that I like to watch (and sometimes star in) as well. Use Extra Magic Hour mornings here if you can. It's really worth it at DHS because the headliners can get backed up during busy months. Learn the lay of the land before you arrive at DHS because it's the most confusing park to get around in.
Animal Kingdom - This is fairly easy for me to tell you what to do. Even if you are somewhat late getting to the park (20 minutes or less before park opening) you can still weasel your way closer. The key here is to look for the turnstile line with the LEAST amount of people... usually those on the sides. Try to find a line with more adults and less children. Kids have issues with the finger scanning machine so that takes up time for you if you're behind the rugrats. Once through the turnstile don't get distracted by the park map stand... blow through the left or right pathway (whichever is closest to you) and get to the next rope right in front of the tree of life. Position yourself either at the far right or the far left depending on if you are going to KS or EE first. If going to EE first, when the rope is dropped follow the CMs but stay on your RIGHT. There will be little shops with awnings to the right of you... use that space under the awnings to move ahead of people in front of you. No one will even think to occupy that space since it's not actual "road." If you're going to head to the Safari first thing... stay behind the CM and choose either the left or the right side... try to avoid the middle. You accomplish moving past people if you are on the sides. Don't worry! It's not cutting since you're not even in a line! :)
Okay, wow! I've typed a lot! I'm done for now! Feel free to comment and let me know what your tactics are for each park and if you get to the parks early or if you're a late riser.
No matter how long you are at 'the land of the mouse' for you definitely want to get the most out of your time there. You want to see as much and do as much as you possibly can. That is why the absolute best way (in my opinion) to tour WDW is to become an "early riser."
Arriving early at the parks is crucial to getting your big "headlining" attractions out of the way with little to no wait at all. The Official Guide (the bible) suggests that you can experience four rides in one hour in the early morning that would take you three hours to accomplish after 10:30 a.m. That's a lot of time you just saved by getting your tush up a little bit earlier. So many people leave WDW and think, "Wow! I missed out on this and this and this! We never got around to all of that!"
In my personal experience I know that i've went to AK and knocked out KS and EE (3 times in the single rider line) all before 10:00 a.m. because my mom and I were there about 30 minutes before park opening. At Epcot it's much easier to waste your time away just because there is so much walking and if you aren't familar with where everything is it's easy to get misplaced. The Studios and Magic Kingdom are the hardest to choose where to go to first thing after park opening. I'm not sure what the Unofficial Guide is suggesting for 2010 but I would say go for Toy Story Mania at DHS and Space Mountain at MK. A lot of people grab a FASTPASS before riding anything and I just don't bother doing that until i've gotten my first ride outta the way. It's not quite as fun knowing you're running towards a FASTPASS kiosk and not an amazing attraction. haha! ;)
I'm sure you're thinking, "Okay, Nazi Stacey! What time do YOU get to the parks?" Well, if i'm going by standard opening time which is normally 9:00 a.m.... I try to get one of the first WDW Transport busses. If i'm ahead of my game I end up waiting on the first bus at the bus stop and enjoy my muffin that I grabbed from the food court using a snack credit from the DDP. :) Magic Kingdom always takes longer to get to from Pop so I have to make sure i'm on one of the first busses for that park but i'm much more lax when it comes to DHS or EP since it's always a fast drive there. Let me just break down my tips... park by park.
Magic Kingdom - Get to the turnstiles (yes, turnstiles) at least 30 minutes before park opening. You'll be brought up to the main entrance to MK. There are TWO ways to get inside of the park. One tunnel is on the left and the other is... on the right. ;) The one you want to head towards is the one with less people and less STROLLERS! Not kidding folks! Strollers will slow you down when it's time to move. This goes for any park... not just MK. After the little opening show shin-dig the ropes are dropped and you are allowed to move into MK. Don't be distracted by the good smells of the bakery if you have your heart set on a certain attraction. Move quickly down Main Street and you'll probably be stopped at the entrance to the land you're approaching. Once 9:00 a.m. hits you'll be walked to the main attraction of that particular land. Keep moving and dodging people. Sometimes staying on the sides and not in the center of the crowd will allow you to be ahead of the pack when the CMs move out of your way.
Epcot - This is the easiest park to lose your place in. Even if you get there 45 minutes or more before park opening and you're right at the rope... you could lose your bearings very quickly if you don't move fast. It's pretty crucial to get to Epcot early since the addition of Soarin'. The line for Soarin' can quickly build and make it impossible to knock out the top attractions very quickly in the morning. When the first rope is dropped and you are allowed past Spaceship Earth... stay on the right! Move quickly up to the center hub and take a right to the little side hub. Ignore the big crowd that will go to the center hub itself. They are dumb and don't know better or are headed for Test Track. Once the rope is dropped at your side "hub" follow the CMs into The Land pavilion and head for the stairs on the back right section of the pavilion. Don't bother with the escalators... use the stairs and head to Soarin' which will be past the waving and cheering CMs on your right. You're good to go!
Disney's Hollywood Studios - With the recent addition of Toy Story Mania it's no longer an obvious move to head towards Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster. Your best bet is to head over to Toy Story Mania now and either ride right away or obtain a FASTPASS. I try and get to DHS about 30 minutes before park opening... if not earlier. The entertainment crew does an awesome park opening show that I like to watch (and sometimes star in) as well. Use Extra Magic Hour mornings here if you can. It's really worth it at DHS because the headliners can get backed up during busy months. Learn the lay of the land before you arrive at DHS because it's the most confusing park to get around in.
Animal Kingdom - This is fairly easy for me to tell you what to do. Even if you are somewhat late getting to the park (20 minutes or less before park opening) you can still weasel your way closer. The key here is to look for the turnstile line with the LEAST amount of people... usually those on the sides. Try to find a line with more adults and less children. Kids have issues with the finger scanning machine so that takes up time for you if you're behind the rugrats. Once through the turnstile don't get distracted by the park map stand... blow through the left or right pathway (whichever is closest to you) and get to the next rope right in front of the tree of life. Position yourself either at the far right or the far left depending on if you are going to KS or EE first. If going to EE first, when the rope is dropped follow the CMs but stay on your RIGHT. There will be little shops with awnings to the right of you... use that space under the awnings to move ahead of people in front of you. No one will even think to occupy that space since it's not actual "road." If you're going to head to the Safari first thing... stay behind the CM and choose either the left or the right side... try to avoid the middle. You accomplish moving past people if you are on the sides. Don't worry! It's not cutting since you're not even in a line! :)
Okay, wow! I've typed a lot! I'm done for now! Feel free to comment and let me know what your tactics are for each park and if you get to the parks early or if you're a late riser.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Bueller? Bueller?
Clearly, i've been absent.
...Clearly.
The thing with planning a WDW trip so far ahead is that once your ADRs are taken care of all you can really do is wait until the trip gets closer. I have one month until my next WDW vacation and i'm mentally trying to get myself super excited. Lots of personal junk has been bogging me down lately and it's hard to think about something so wonderful and fun when you've got "reality" surrounding you and beating you down day after day.
Let me get the bad news over with... the trip has changed to just mom and I. Matt has chosen to go out to see his aunt in California with his mom. That means it will be another team trip for mom and I! Really.. nothing wrong with that. Just kind of a mental bummer.... ya know? Sadly, I have to take care of trying to transfer his Northwest ticket from going to Orlando to going to San Fran or L.A. Ugh. I'm not looking forward to paying the extra fees for that mess.
On a high note... the trip is totally paid off! About two weeks ago I paid the final $250.00 ish and now i'm totally done! Wooo! I'm really still thinking of doing the AP like I wanted to but there are personal reasons as to why i'm not sure it'd be such a good idea. Hmm.. not sure yet. I have more time to think about it. Really... I don't have to decide until the trip is upon us. It'll be about $220.00 just to upgrade my 1 day base to a 7 day park hopper. And the AP will cost me about $520.00. Kind of a big difference but if I KNOW that I will get to use that AP fully then it will be worth it.
It's also time for me to start getting my WDW binder together. The binder I carry religiously until we step foot into our hotel room. I still have to get all of the info typed out and printed so I can neatly store it. Once that is done it's really just a matter of time. Did you know that I left my binder on the plane during my honeymoon and almost totally left the gate without it?
Anyways... i'm hoping someone is still interested in reading this! I'll keep updating when I feel necessary.
...Clearly.
The thing with planning a WDW trip so far ahead is that once your ADRs are taken care of all you can really do is wait until the trip gets closer. I have one month until my next WDW vacation and i'm mentally trying to get myself super excited. Lots of personal junk has been bogging me down lately and it's hard to think about something so wonderful and fun when you've got "reality" surrounding you and beating you down day after day.
Let me get the bad news over with... the trip has changed to just mom and I. Matt has chosen to go out to see his aunt in California with his mom. That means it will be another team trip for mom and I! Really.. nothing wrong with that. Just kind of a mental bummer.... ya know? Sadly, I have to take care of trying to transfer his Northwest ticket from going to Orlando to going to San Fran or L.A. Ugh. I'm not looking forward to paying the extra fees for that mess.
On a high note... the trip is totally paid off! About two weeks ago I paid the final $250.00 ish and now i'm totally done! Wooo! I'm really still thinking of doing the AP like I wanted to but there are personal reasons as to why i'm not sure it'd be such a good idea. Hmm.. not sure yet. I have more time to think about it. Really... I don't have to decide until the trip is upon us. It'll be about $220.00 just to upgrade my 1 day base to a 7 day park hopper. And the AP will cost me about $520.00. Kind of a big difference but if I KNOW that I will get to use that AP fully then it will be worth it.
It's also time for me to start getting my WDW binder together. The binder I carry religiously until we step foot into our hotel room. I still have to get all of the info typed out and printed so I can neatly store it. Once that is done it's really just a matter of time. Did you know that I left my binder on the plane during my honeymoon and almost totally left the gate without it?
Anyways... i'm hoping someone is still interested in reading this! I'll keep updating when I feel necessary.
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