An Overplanner Takes on WDW – Feb 2019 PTR now with bonus Aug trip (New TR linked 9/2))

I didn't realize Test Track was that hard at 60 days. We're going late afternoon of our +2 day and it was wide open most of the day when I was booking.
I don't think it should be. Which I was speculating that they were going to have it down. I might need to change my Frozen Fast Pass to Test Track... I want to do Frozen but I know my girls will want to do Test Track. Sign...
 
I don't think it should be. Which I was speculating that they were going to have it down. I might need to change my Frozen Fast Pass to Test Track... I want to do Frozen but I know my girls will want to do Test Track. Sign...

I saw a thread where people were reporting that TT was only letting you book FP for a group of 1, no bigger groups. Maybe that's what was going on when your window opened. The thread subsequently said that it resolved, but only recently. Maybe check again and see what you can do.
 
I am torn... I know the girls will want to ride TT more than Frozen, but I kind of want to keep the frozen fast passes... I wonder what the chances are of getting TT after we use the Frozen one?
 
I am torn... I know the girls will want to ride TT more than Frozen, but I kind of want to keep the frozen fast passes... I wonder what the chances are of getting TT after we use the Frozen one?

You're starting so late that day, I wouldn't bank on getting back to future world after an evening FEA fp. Your better chance is probably to get frozen as a 4th on your hop day from HS to epcot. You'll be spending that afternoon in world showcase, right?
 


So, I just tried to change the frozen to a TT FP, and I can get options but nothing past 4:00 PM... Which 4-5 will be cutting it way too close! I will just have to hope for a TT fastpass on the other day, or maybe the fast pass gods will look upon me at some point! We will survive one way or the other!
 
Hurry Up And Wait

What a drop in excitement from day 60 to day 50! Before FP day, I reran all of my daily touring plans to see if anything had shifted, made a few tweaks, and got my list together for morning priorities. Actually booking everything was quite the rush and I spent the next few days randomly saying to hubby, “We’re really going to Disney World!” At some point, exhilaration faded and I was left with Christmas decorations that needed to be cleaned up and not much of anything to do on the Disney planning front.

Now that the holiday is all put away, I’m officially allowed to start packing. I’ve been tossing things into the extra bedroom as I picked them up, but I made a rule that the suitcases couldn’t come up until the tree came down. I can at least start packing up all of our spring/summer park clothes, although the warmer layers will have to wait quite a while. At least the little bits of packing and random items I need to buy are something to keep me distracted while the clock ticks oh so slowly forward. 41 days and counting…

I have made a few changes. After much back and forth, we decided to drop the ‘Ohana dinner and Hollywood & Vine lunch in favor of Hoop-Dee-Doo Review. Both of the former restaurants have such mixed reviews, while nearly everyone raves about HDDR. In terms of credits, I was able to juggle things to stretch my QS meals for one more meal. Realistically, my family can easily eat 2-3 meals between us for dinner on a day when we’ve had a normal lunch. When you factor in all of the big TS meals we’re having, we were going to end up tossing a lot of dinner food or wasting QS credits under the old plan.

I’m also starting to get a little worried about how much shopping we’re going to have to do this trip. Between birthday and Christmas gifts, my girls ended up with $100 each in Disney gift cards! We rarely if ever buy souvenirs because, with three kids, the sheer volume of stuff they accumulate is overwhelming as it is. We’ve had an embargo on new stuffed animals since they were three. They’ve never gotten anything from the gift shops of the zoo, aquarium, or museums for which we have memberships. Heck, when we took them on a cruise for their 4th birthday, they were allowed one purchase each, since the cruise was the real gift. Now, I can only imagine how much time we’re going to spend wandering gift shops assessing the various options.

Do you guys have suggestions for souvenirs that are physically small but meaningful, ideally something that will last? It’s their money, and I’m going to let them spend it the way they want (within reason) but I would hope to guide them toward some better purchases. The girls are still rough on their toys and clothes are quickly outgrown. My husband and I had planned to get them Epcot passports to bring around the world, test track driver’s licenses and change for pressed pennies. I’m thinking maybe jewelry, like a pendant that they could wear now on a shorter chain but also keep when they’re older. I did ask them what they might like to spend their money on and they all agreed on ice cream. When I said Dad and I would actually be procuring the food, including the ice cream, they thought maybe ice cream for the next day! The discussion then devolved into a debate about whether we would let them get ice cream for dinner in Disney and we never did circle back to the question of the gift cards. Any neat things I should be helping them to look for?
 
Maybe a lanyard and let them pick out some pins? They can pick out pins that are meaningful to them and also wear them around the parks!
 


Hurry Up And Wait

What a drop in excitement from day 60 to day 50! Before FP day, I reran all of my daily touring plans to see if anything had shifted, made a few tweaks, and got my list together for morning priorities. Actually booking everything was quite the rush and I spent the next few days randomly saying to hubby, “We’re really going to Disney World!” At some point, exhilaration faded and I was left with Christmas decorations that needed to be cleaned up and not much of anything to do on the Disney planning front.

Now that the holiday is all put away, I’m officially allowed to start packing. I’ve been tossing things into the extra bedroom as I picked them up, but I made a rule that the suitcases couldn’t come up until the tree came down. I can at least start packing up all of our spring/summer park clothes, although the warmer layers will have to wait quite a while. At least the little bits of packing and random items I need to buy are something to keep me distracted while the clock ticks oh so slowly forward. 41 days and counting…

I have made a few changes. After much back and forth, we decided to drop the ‘Ohana dinner and Hollywood & Vine lunch in favor of Hoop-Dee-Doo Review. Both of the former restaurants have such mixed reviews, while nearly everyone raves about HDDR. In terms of credits, I was able to juggle things to stretch my QS meals for one more meal. Realistically, my family can easily eat 2-3 meals between us for dinner on a day when we’ve had a normal lunch. When you factor in all of the big TS meals we’re having, we were going to end up tossing a lot of dinner food or wasting QS credits under the old plan.

I’m also starting to get a little worried about how much shopping we’re going to have to do this trip. Between birthday and Christmas gifts, my girls ended up with $100 each in Disney gift cards! We rarely if ever buy souvenirs because, with three kids, the sheer volume of stuff they accumulate is overwhelming as it is. We’ve had an embargo on new stuffed animals since they were three. They’ve never gotten anything from the gift shops of the zoo, aquarium, or museums for which we have memberships. Heck, when we took them on a cruise for their 4th birthday, they were allowed one purchase each, since the cruise was the real gift. Now, I can only imagine how much time we’re going to spend wandering gift shops assessing the various options.

Do you guys have suggestions for souvenirs that are physically small but meaningful, ideally something that will last? It’s their money, and I’m going to let them spend it the way they want (within reason) but I would hope to guide them toward some better purchases. The girls are still rough on their toys and clothes are quickly outgrown. My husband and I had planned to get them Epcot passports to bring around the world, test track driver’s licenses and change for pressed pennies. I’m thinking maybe jewelry, like a pendant that they could wear now on a shorter chain but also keep when they’re older. I did ask them what they might like to spend their money on and they all agreed on ice cream. When I said Dad and I would actually be procuring the food, including the ice cream, they thought maybe ice cream for the next day! The discussion then devolved into a debate about whether we would let them get ice cream for dinner in Disney and we never did circle back to the question of the gift cards. Any neat things I should be helping them to look for?

I would look into Pick A Pearl in Japan @ Epcot....it's such a fun experience! We watched several last year and my daughter (5) can't wait to do it this year. She's been saving her money. You could top it off by walking over for the Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream.
 
Maybe a lanyard and let them pick out some pins? They can pick out pins that are meaningful to them and also wear them around the parks!

I like this idea. It's something they could have fun with in the park then display in their rooms at home.

I would look into Pick A Pearl in Japan @ Epcot....it's such a fun experience! We watched several last year and my daughter (5) can't wait to do it this year. She's been saving her money. You could top it off by walking over for the Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream.

Pick a pearl sounds like a great idea! I originally bypassed this one because of the cost to pick and set x 3 was a lot for hubby and me, but now the kids can certainly afford to each do one! Not sure about the kitchen sink, though, as we'd have to snag an ADR and commit to a specific time. We'll be on the DDP and staying at Boardwalk, so I'm assuming we'll be blowing a LOT of snack credits at Ample Hills, though. :-)
 
I have a few tactics that we have used with our girls...

One trip we were very limited on suitcase space, so I had told them up front that they would only get one plush. They really took to thinking about which one they really wanted.

We have said one trip, that they could only get one thing from each park. It also really helped them weight there options of what they wanted to get. You have the gift card limit but they are young and mind not totally get that. Might help to get them to spread the shopping out. Not burn through all the money right away.

Over the years I have encouraged them to pick things that they can't get at the Disney Store at the mall. This was harder when they were younger. But I think it really has sunk in over time! Plush in the big main stores tends to be all the same and not quiet as original. Try and poke into the ride stores after riding a ride. They aren't that big, so you won't be in there too long and those places have more specific stuff. My girls got the rabbit from splash moutain on time. And the fox from fox and the hound. The Disney Snacks plush is super cute! And they aren't huge either! I have to admit that we have pretty much all of them, because I also just loved them so much!

Japan as a whole is a great place for the girls to pick something out! They have great toys from Japan and plush! My girls always want to get something from there. And like I said, something you can't get elsewhere.
IMG_1627 by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
That is Gwen with her Kitty "Perry" Doll from the last trip.

Japan Plush by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
These were the latest versions of some of the plush in Japan on our last trip.

The whole store is great! I got the girls kid chopsticks one year, they have plastic animals on the end to help the kids use them, and I usually get a pair for us. (we love sushi) Or the candy there is fun too! If they want to use there money on candy, have them pick out candy from the different countries to try at home later.

One year the girls got fans from China.
China Fans by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
And the lady wrote there names on them in Chinese. Which the girls loved! I heard they will do the same in Japan as well.


All of the big stores, has charm necklaces and bracelets that you can build. There are tons of charms to choose from. In the store in pandora there is also a make your own necklace station and the cost is based on which beads you do. Either of those would be great options. Morgan has done both.


What else have my girls gotten over the years... Ahhh the bubble wands! Hours of entertainment in line. If you think they will get one, bring bubble mix with you! You can buy more but it is silly $$$. My youngest spent 3 days thinking about getting one. And loved it every second once she had it!
IMG_9915 by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

There is pressed penny books you can buy, they are not that pricey at all. They are great for containing the pennies once you are back home.


Regardless you will end up with a bunch of stuff, I would image. I try to bring a bag that fold flat that I could use as an extra carry on when we fly someone that doesn't care if you have 2 carryons a piece. And I make the girls just carry one of the plush in there hands on the plane. We have never had a problem.

Good Luck!!!!
 
I have a few tactics that we have used with our girls...

One trip we were very limited on suitcase space, so I had told them up front that they would only get one plush. They really took to thinking about which one they really wanted.

We have said one trip, that they could only get one thing from each park. It also really helped them weight there options of what they wanted to get. You have the gift card limit but they are young and mind not totally get that. Might help to get them to spread the shopping out. Not burn through all the money right away.

Over the years I have encouraged them to pick things that they can't get at the Disney Store at the mall. This was harder when they were younger. But I think it really has sunk in over time! Plush in the big main stores tends to be all the same and not quiet as original. Try and poke into the ride stores after riding a ride. They aren't that big, so you won't be in there too long and those places have more specific stuff. My girls got the rabbit from splash moutain on time. And the fox from fox and the hound. The Disney Snacks plush is super cute! And they aren't huge either! I have to admit that we have pretty much all of them, because I also just loved them so much!

Japan as a whole is a great place for the girls to pick something out! They have great toys from Japan and plush! My girls always want to get something from there. And like I said, something you can't get elsewhere.
IMG_1627 by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
That is Gwen with her Kitty "Perry" Doll from the last trip.

Japan Plush by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
These were the latest versions of some of the plush in Japan on our last trip.

The whole store is great! I got the girls kid chopsticks one year, they have plastic animals on the end to help the kids use them, and I usually get a pair for us. (we love sushi) Or the candy there is fun too! If they want to use there money on candy, have them pick out candy from the different countries to try at home later.

One year the girls got fans from China.
China Fans by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
And the lady wrote there names on them in Chinese. Which the girls loved! I heard they will do the same in Japan as well.


All of the big stores, has charm necklaces and bracelets that you can build. There are tons of charms to choose from. In the store in pandora there is also a make your own necklace station and the cost is based on which beads you do. Either of those would be great options. Morgan has done both.


What else have my girls gotten over the years... Ahhh the bubble wands! Hours of entertainment in line. If you think they will get one, bring bubble mix with you! You can buy more but it is silly $$$. My youngest spent 3 days thinking about getting one. And loved it every second once she had it!
IMG_9915 by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

There is pressed penny books you can buy, they are not that pricey at all. They are great for containing the pennies once you are back home.


Regardless you will end up with a bunch of stuff, I would image. I try to bring a bag that fold flat that I could use as an extra carry on when we fly someone that doesn't care if you have 2 carryons a piece. And I make the girls just carry one of the plush in there hands on the plane. We have never had a problem.

Good Luck!!!!

Lot's of great ideas. I have this intense, visceral reaction to the idea of any new stuffed animals. Perhaps it's something to do with the fact that the toy hammock we use to store them got so full that it came out of the wall and we had to use special, reinforced mounts to hang it back up! I'll probably have to lift the rule on these for at least one special stuffy, but it will be under protest.

The necklace station in Pandora sounds really cool. Mine are big into crafting, plus they'll have time to kill while we RS FoP, so that could kill two birds with one stone.

We're visiting all of the parks except AK at least twice, so my husband suggested that we make a rule that they can't buy anything until the second park day at each. That way, they're not just blowing money on the first things they see.

We're flying Southwest, so we have plenty of space to do checked bags. I'm planning on bringing at least one of the bags that can fold into itself so that it's super small to begin with but expands well. We'll be carrying-on one rolling suitcase on the way down because we want things for day 1 at the resort, but that can become a checked bag and get replaced with a soft sided carry on if the girls really buy enough stuff to need it.
 
The necklace station in Pandora sounds really cool. Mine are big into crafting, plus they'll have time to kill while we RS FoP, so that could kill two birds with one stone.
I don't remember how much it was but I don't think it was too bad. They will love it.

We're visiting all of the parks except AK at least twice, so my husband suggested that we make a rule that they can't buy anything until the second park day at each. That way, they're not just blowing money on the first things they see.
Probably a good idea. It gives them time to decide. Because there is a ALOT of stuff to choose from.

Lot's of great ideas. I have this intense, visceral reaction to the idea of any new stuffed animals. Perhaps it's something to do with the fact that the toy hammock we use to store them got so full that it came out of the wall and we had to use special, reinforced mounts to hang it back up! I'll probably have to lift the rule on these for at least one special stuffy, but it will be under protest
Ha! I know! We have soooooo much plus it is silly.
 
I like this idea. It's something they could have fun with in the park then display in their rooms at home.



Pick a pearl sounds like a great idea! I originally bypassed this one because of the cost to pick and set x 3 was a lot for hubby and me, but now the kids can certainly afford to each do one! Not sure about the kitchen sink, though, as we'd have to snag an ADR and commit to a specific time. We'll be on the DDP and staying at Boardwalk, so I'm assuming we'll be blowing a LOT of snack credits at Ample Hills, though. :-)
Get a pearl cage necklace or bracelet from Etsy or Amazon. Much cheaper. You can give them that as a Tinker Bell gift the morning you plan to go.
 
Get a pearl cage necklace or bracelet from Etsy or Amazon. Much cheaper. You can give them that as a Tinker Bell gift the morning you plan to go.

They won't set it at the park in my own setting, will they?

I'm not sure if I want the hassle and cost of bringing it to a jeweler at home. It might be more money in disney, but it's the girls' gift card money versus my own cash out of pocket.
 
They won't set it at the park in my own setting, will they?

I'm not sure if I want the hassle and cost of bringing it to a jeweler at home. It might be more money in disney, but it's the girls' gift card money versus my own cash out of pocket.

You don’t need a jeweler. Look at the descriptions of whatever you are buying, but you should be able to open it and put the pearl in yourself. These aren’t fine jewelry, but the Disney ones are not either.
 
One Month To Go!!

It’s funny how time has a way of simultaneously speeding up and slowing down on you. It’s the most obvious for me when I think about my children. Whoever said, “The days are long but the years are short,” hit the nail on the head. I guess that makes this trip my fourth child . I’ve been planning for nearly a year and it feels like it’s been absolutely forever and also no time at all.

All of that aimless rambling is to say that, in exactly one month, I’ll be laying in a bed at the Boardwalk Villas, trying desperately to sleep but completely unable, too excited to show my girls the Magic Kingdom in the morning. Even though it’s much too early to do so, I’ve been packing for a couple weeks now. All the suitcases are in the extra bedroom, the packing cubes are labeled by date with outfits planned for each park day, and I have a three-page list of things I still need to purchase or put aside over the next month. In my defense, I have only a few hours a week where I’m home alone without the kids: 5 day a week preschool for the win! I’d rather pack a bit here and there without them underfoot than try to get things taken care of with them “helping” me. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm to assist is matched only by their ineptitude.

I also wanted to make sure that some of my newer purchases work so that, if I need to make exchanges, I’ll have plenty of time to do so. We’re borrowing a single and double stroller from friends here because a) I’m cheap and b) our return flight lands at 11pm local time. I want to have strollers in the airport so that my presumably exhausted kids don’t have to walk down to baggage claim and stand there waiting while the bags come up. Today, I utilized my kid-free hours to make sure that the cheapo rain covers and stroller bag I got from Amazon would work. I also set up the tiles that Santa brought in my stocking and attached them to each stroller. Have any of you used them before? Hubby said he got them for a really good price and people claim they help you find your stroller when it’s been moved in the sea of stroller parking. I’m willing to give them a try, they certainly won’t make it any harder to find our things, and maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Either way, they’re all set up and the girls got a kick out of the fact that I could make the strollers “ring” from an app on my phone.

Also of note, were you aware that AccuWeather puts out forecasts up to 90 days in advance? Any sane person wouldn’t even bother looking at them: if they can’t get the weather right the day before, surely anything for a month out is completely useless. This thread is sufficient evidence that I am not, in fact, a sane person, so I present to you our Disney weather forecast:

1.png 2.png 3.png

Overall, I’m happy with it. The whole point of traveling when we are was so that the weather would be pleasant but not too hot. Hopefully, that’s what we’ll get.
 
Here is to the next 30 days going by fast!!! I feel like once February hits it will start to move faster. I feel like January has been soooo slow!

I am not even looking at the weather for Florida yet. It has been chilly and I feel like it will depress me. Well, only kind of. Cool weather will def make being in the parks nicer!
 
We leave on Friday and I’m really starting to stress about cooler weather. Particularly our DAH evening. I really don’t want to waste an hour or more going back to our resort before dinner for jackets. But my own stuff is way too bulky to carry around all day, even in a bag.
 

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