It's Our First Thanksgiving Trip (And I'll Start My PTR A Year Early if I Want To!)- COMPLETE 11/16

[missangelalexis]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Glad the jury drama has finally been resolved! I'm sorry it's been replaced with order drama! I do love Pixie Lee & Co, I ordered a shirt from her a while ago when she was still running under a different name!

ADR plans look great, good luck getting everything!!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

Sorry for all the inconvenience with your orders. I hate when that happens. When I order from anywhere, I always love tracking my packages to see when they are expected to arrive. When its something that is taking much longer then its supposed to - it drives me crazy!

Love your ADR choices!

 

[Newsies]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Glad the jury drama has finally been resolved! I'm sorry it's been replaced with order drama! I do love Pixie Lee & Co, I ordered a shirt from her a while ago when she was still running under a different name!

ADR plans look great, good luck getting everything!!

Thank you so, so much!

I'm glad the Jury drama has been resolved as well, my family and I was getting really worried since we didn't have a steady way for me to get to the courthouse and back every day for the summer.

Thank you so much! I will update you about ADRs in just a moment

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

Sorry for all the inconvenience with your orders. I hate when that happens. When I order from anywhere, I always love tracking my packages to see when they are expected to arrive. When its something that is taking much longer then its supposed to - it drives me crazy!

Love your ADR choices!

Thank you so much! I had a great day!

My ADR post is coming up in just a few minutes!


To address you both in regards to my ongoing small shop dilemma: I messaged her yet again today and was assured that my packages were at the Post Office, and that things were moving slow because of an incident that recently happened at the regional office but that things were slowly getting back to normal and that they should arrive within a few days. I'm not sure I believe her? Other reviewers are claiming that she's made quite a few excuses in the past that were in the same vein as this one, so if it hasn't shipped by this time next week, I'm going to message her one more time before I file a claim with Etsy.

 

[Newsies]

21st Birthday? Celebrated. ADRs? MADE!
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Hi everyone! Like I said in my last update, today was ADR day and you bet I made my reservations! First, really quick: Yesterday was my birthday!

I rang in my 21st birthday at midnight with some rosé (how else?). Then I went to sleep, and when I woke up, two of my friends from home and I got lunch. My family came home and it was present time. I got a really special gift that I absolutely cannot wait to use!

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This model is just a little different than what my sister has, AKA what I used on my last trip! My cousin has this exact model and according to her, there's an app you can download that will automatically send your photos you take to your phone. I just need to buy a memory card as soon as my new debit card comes in the mail (long story, almost got scammed out of $200 but it's fine, needed a new one anyway). I'd also like a 50MM lens, but I doubt I'll be able to get one before this trip and that's okay! I'm just so happy to have a DSLR of my own! His name is Mr. Smee.. fire the canons, Mr. Smee!

We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, here's a photo of me with my first mixed drink!

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It was a Georgia Peach and it was really nice! Now that I'm 21, I'm going to have to make another cute little list-y post about all the drinks I'm excited to try at WDW this year!


OKAY, NOW IT'S TIME FOR WHAT YOU'RE ALL REALLY HERE FOR.... ADRS!!!

Last night I set an alarm for 5:50 so I would be able to wake up just in time to make them, but I ended up cancelling the alarm since at the moment, sleep sounded like the better idea

I ended up waking up on my own at around 6:40 and remembering it was ADR day so I made myself get out of bed to make them and I got almost everything I wanted! Here we go...

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Dinner at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin', 8:00 PM.
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Out of the ADRs we've made, this is the one I'm 2nd most excited about. I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to try this place! Everyone in my family is excited to try the fried chicken here, I'm drooling about it right now and I'm not even that hungry. We're going to arrive at around noon (maybe a little earlier) that day, and my mom really wants to do a 45-minute pontoon boat trip, so I wanted to factor in time for us to unpack, rent a boat from the Poly, and then head over to Disney Springs for some shopping and drinks before dinner.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel, 6:00 PM.
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Our current favorite restaurant, perfect for our Epcot day.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe, 4:15 PM. ​

This is the one ADR I'm kind of disappointed about. I really wanted to do a late lunch/early dinner at Sci-Fi, since we always go to 50sPTC. We're going to be rope dropping the park for TSL this day, so I made sure to make our dinner reservation on the earlier side because I don't want anyone getting cranky if we only have time to grab a snack before dinner! I'm going to be looking for Sci-Fi periodically until our trip.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Lunch at Yak & Yeti, 12:30 PM. ​

Okay ya'll, so here's the thing for anyone NOT following this saga which I may have explained earlier in this thread but I won't make you go searching for it and just explain it here again: I ALWAYS make this reservation, have made it every year since 2014, and EVERY YEAR we end up cancelling it for one reason or another. This year I made it a lunch reservation and a little earlier into the trip than normal so that we can be SURE to eat there! I've been meaning to try this place for four years!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22
California Grill Thanksgiving Dinner, 5:20 PM.
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If you've ever made ADRs, you know that every trip has the ADR, and this is THE ADR for this trip. This is such a special meal to me, it almost breaks my heart that it's, in a way, made to throw away. This is technically our back-up ADR, since we really are counting on getting into the DVC Member Thanksgiving Banquet this year, but those tickets aren't released until September (which is really annoying but whatever). There's a (big) chance we won't get into that, though, so I told me family I still wanted to do something special for Thanksgiving and now part of me hopes that we can't get into the DVC event because I've always wanted to eat here.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Breakfast at The Wave, 10:00 AM. ​

Our only breakfast, which is a shame considering how much I looooove breakfast. This will technically be our Magic Kingdom day, but we're going to take it as easy as possible because the crowds will probably send my family back to the resort as soon as we get there. We all really love The Wave, so I definitely wanted to incorporate the amazing breakfast buffet into our trip somehow.


And that's what we have so far! Other than the small glitches with small shops, things are going great with this trip and I'm so happy with our ADRs!

-Kaitlyn

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad you had a wonderful birthday! Yay for getting a new camera!

I'm surprised out of all the ADRS that SciFi was the one to give you trouble! Hopefully something opens up for you!

 

[Newsies]

Glad you had a wonderful birthday! Yay for getting a new camera!

I'm surprised out of all the ADRS that SciFi was the one to give you trouble! Hopefully something opens up for you!

It was a great day!

That surprised me, too. I thought at first maybe SciFi was going to be under refurb, but then a little later on I saw two dinner times appear? I'll keep checking!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

To address you both in regards to my ongoing small shop dilemma: I messaged her yet again today and was assured that my packages were at the Post Office, and that things were moving slow because of an incident that recently happened at the regional office but that things were slowly getting back to normal and that they should arrive within a few days. I'm not sure I believe her? Other reviewers are claiming that she's made quite a few excuses in the past that were in the same vein as this one, so if it hasn't shipped by this time next week, I'm going to message her one more time before I file a claim with Etsy.

Hoping she is not fibbing about your packages...but if it doesn't work out, I think contacting Etsy i the way to go. I would do the same thing...

So cool! I'll be excited to see your pictures with your camera in November!

Dinner at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin', 8:00 PM.

Yes - big yes. I loved eating here last summer - it's so good, and you definitely won't be leaving hungry!!!

So for Sci-Fi - were there not any good ADR times available? Is that why you booked 50's

Also yay for the Wave - that place is great!

And I hope California Grill works out for you... that seems like such a great place to eat for Thanksgiving dinner.
And yeah, those DVC events are very annoying due to their limited availability and how close they release the booking...my grandparents are DVC so I totally understand the struggles.

Ooh and for adult drinks in WDW - I am super excited to try some as well - especially in EPCOT! I am DYING to try a frozen margarita!

Looking forward to hearing about more updates in the future!

 

[Newsies]

Hoping she is not fibbing about your packages...but if it doesn't work out, I think contacting Etsy i the way to go. I would do the same thing...



So cool! I'll be excited to see your pictures with your camera in November!


Yes - big yes. I loved eating here last summer - it's so good, and you definitely won't be leaving hungry!!!

So for Sci-Fi - were there not any good ADR times available? Is that why you booked 50's

Also yay for the Wave - that place is great!

And I hope California Grill works out for you... that seems like such a great place to eat for Thanksgiving dinner.
And yeah, those DVC events are very annoying due to their limited availability and how close they release the booking...my grandparents are DVC so I totally understand the struggles.

Ooh and for adult drinks in WDW - I am super excited to try some as well - especially in EPCOT! I am DYING to try a frozen margarita!

Looking forward to hearing about more updates in the future!

Yeah, I'll definitely be contacting Etsy if they don't get shipped out by next week. I think I weirdly wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't get these? Over the course of the past few weeks, they haven't been as cute to me for some reason.

I'm so excited to play with my camera! I just need a memory card and then I can start playing around!

We ABSOLUTELY cannot wait for Homecomin'

There were no times at all for Sci-Fi! Yesterday I checked again and there was one for 8:40 in the evening, but that is way too late for what we're planning that day.

I think we're going to run into a problem because my parents really have their heart set on the member dinner, but I'm not super hopeful that we'll be able to book it. I don't want them to be disappointed, I know they'll love CG!

I have a few I'm REALLY looking forward to... and yeah, the ones at Epcot top my list!

Looking forward to updating you more!!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

There were no times at all for Sci-Fi! Yesterday I checked again and there was one for 8:40 in the evening, but that is way too late for what we're planning that day.

Wow that's crazy. I never realized SciFi was that popular. Maybe it's due to the time of year you are there and people are all hyped for TSL? I have always wanted to try it - maybe I will for my next trip!

Yeah, I'll definitely be contacting Etsy if they don't get shipped out by next week. I think I weirdly wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't get these? Over the course of the past few weeks, they haven't been as cute to me for some reason.

So yeah now I'm hoping it doesn't work out for you. Not worth spending your money on something you don't truly want!

We ABSOLUTELY cannot wait for Homecomin'

Anyone on the DIS that has gone there has said they loved it...it seems to be getting more and more popular!

I have a few I'm REALLY looking forward to... and yeah, the ones at Epcot top my list!

LOL yeah I feel like when anyone thinks of drinking in WDW - EPCOT is always the first thing that comes to mind!

 

[Newsies]

Wow that's crazy. I never realized SciFi was that popular. Maybe it's due to the time of year you are there and people are all hyped for TSL? I have always wanted to try it - maybe I will for my next trip!


So yeah now I'm hoping it doesn't work out for you. Not worth spending your money on something you don't truly want!

Anyone on the DIS that has gone there has said they loved it...it seems to be getting more and more popular!

LOL yeah I feel like when anyone thinks of drinking in WDW - EPCOT is always the first thing that comes to mind!

I didn't think Sci-Fi was that popular either, which is why I'm SO confused as to how that was the only ADR I didn't snag! Especially because 50sPTC had so many times available!

Things are getting HEATED in the review section of this woman's Etsy page. Today some woman posted a nasty message that this sellar sent to her inbox after she reported her... it's absolutely cray-cray.

Yeah, it's definitely picking up attention here on the boards! I got so curious with everyone's reviews, and then my friend Maddie said it was the best restaurant she ate at during her trip!

For sure!!! With a whole event called "The Food and Wine Festival," who can blame us?

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Happy belated birthday!!

His name is Mr. Smee.. fire the canons, Mr. Smee!

I may have laughed wayyy too hard at this...

OKAY, NOW IT'S TIME FOR WHAT YOU'RE ALL REALLY HERE FOR.... ADRS!!!

They all sound wonderful! Hopefully you'll actually make it to Yak and Yeti this time.

 

[Newsies]

Happy belated birthday!!



I may have laughed wayyy too hard at this...



They all sound wonderful! Hopefully you'll actually make it to Yak and Yeti this time.

Thank you so much!

HAHAHAHAHA I'm glad you enjoyed!!

I hope we do too!! Can't wait for your TR!!

 

[Newsies]

Small Shop Ongoings: The Conclusion​

Hey everyone!

First off, summer is in full swing and so is my involvement with FairyGodBloggers. We took on 7 (!!!) new writers this past week, which is more than we've taken on since we started the blog. I spent all of this past week writing new writer guides and introducing them to the world of FGB. Next week is my last week as a weekly writer, then I become bi-weekly so that I can focus more on developing recruitment and training procedures for the blog. Jodi (the founder of the blog) and I are very excited because we haven't seen this much growth since the blog launched, and now we're ready to take a backseat to writing and start developing administrative procedures and positions that will help us grow even larger. FGB is almost ready to purchase our own URL and become monetized and we are so excited for us to grow!

Rant over. Now it's time for what you're really here for...

The culminating conclusion of the ongoing trials of my magicband bows.

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Let's quickly summarize the events that surrounded these bows until this point:

• April 1: I purchase them.
• May 5: No updates from the seller, so I reach out.
• May 5 again: Seller tells me that she's waiting for a charm embellishment in the mail, it has been delivered to her P.O. Box and she will mail it out that week.
• May 15: With no updates since our correspondence the week prior, I reach out and ask about our order. I get no response.

So that leads us up to May 22. On May 22, I asked about the bows again and this time, I got a response almost instantaneously. The seller said that she dropped them off at her post office, but there was a problem at the regional facility that prevented them from being scanned and distributed in a timely matter, and that they would get to my house within a few days.

And ya'll, I didn't buy that.

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At this point, I've seen three separate reviews on this seller's Etsy page, among a suspicious looking sea of positive ones, claiming that they never received their bows and that the seller lied about post office problems multiple times over the course of the past few months.

So the next day arrives, and I've already told my mom that if I didn't get a tracking update from Etsy within a week, I'd file a claim with Etsy. Because at this point, it's been a week shy of two months for an item that was posted at 2-4 weeks shipping time. But THEN I see a review on the page where someone POSTED A MESSAGE that this seller sent them in response to them filing a claim with Etsy because they never got their bows. And this seller is getting CON-FRON-TATIONAL.

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And ya'll... I am FREAKING OUT. I don't want to file a claim with Etsy and have this seller get confrontational with ME, because I'm not a confrontational person, but I know I'm going to eventually have to if I don't receive my products.

So May 29 rolls around. No tracking updates, no updates from the seller. I message her and ask her why they haven't shipped out and she's INCREDIBLY sweet and apologetic about it. She tells me that there was a news update saying things were back to normal, but if the post office hasn't shipped my order yet, she'll go retrieve it and FedEx it to me, which was a nice offer. She asks me when my trip is so that she can MAKE SURE I get them, and I tell her a little white lie and say that I'm leaving June 8 which I know is wrong but at this point it's been two months and I should have these bows in my hand. She assures me that she will have them shipped out in time.

That same day, May 29... my package mysteriously arrives. No tracking updates, nothing from Etsy, nothing from USPS, nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't see this until literally right now, but she did tell me she went to her post office and they told her that it was in Kearny the day before which is our regional distribution office place or whatever, so her story about having a problematic post office eventually seemed viable and everything checked out, but it was still weird that I was never given tracking information and our order was still listed as "pending" on Etsy.

Here are our bows!

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The Minnie Mouse bow is for mom, the Moana bow is for Grace, and obvi-- the Starbucks one is for me. And that Cinderella one on the top left? In her incredibly sweet note that I covered up, she talks about how she threw that one in for free for me because I was so patient with her. The final products are gorgeous, so high-quality and I can't wait to wear them on our upcoming trip.


I'm going to keep the seller anonymous for the time being because a) I feel guilty for not believing her, and also b) I wouldn't recommend her. I had to facilitate a lot of conversation in order to get any kind of update, and it took them so long to ship. If she had reached out to me first to let me know that there were a few problems along the way, I would have been more understanding. But she has some v. suspicious stuff going on in her reviews, so I'm just going to drop the subject.


Anyway, I also had a great experience with another small shop called My Oh My Supply Co. I ordered a shirt on my birthday and by that Saturday, it had arrived. Gorgeous shirt from a gorgeous, amazing seller. Please go give them some business.

I had a little photoshoot! It's a Riverdale-inspired 7DMT shirt, I'm obsessed with it.

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If you like these high quality images, you can find more at my new Disney instagram, @ tinkerkait!

-Kaitlyn

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[the2ndstar2theright]

THAT SHIRT

Very weird about all the stuff with the bows, but the end results are so cute!!

 

[Newsies]

THAT SHIRT

Very weird about all the stuff with the bows, but the end results are so cute!!

I KNOWWWW I'M OBSESSED WITH IT I can't wait to wear it to MK!

Yeah, it was a weird process, but I'm happy with the products I received so that's all that matters, right?

 

[missangelalexis]

So glad you finally got your bows! Definitely sounds suspicious but glad it worked out, they're so cute!

Loveeee the new shirt!!

 

[MiracleCream]

Very glad you got your bows! I love the starbucks One I enjoy reading along on the blog posts. I subscribed to them and every time there’s a new entry, I get an email with the entry! I love it and learn a lot.

 

[Newsies]

What Comes Next?
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I was really excited to come back home for the summer and post tons of updates on this PTR. But lately... things have just been dead. There especially hasn't been anything interesting to update you guys with, which leaves me wondering... what comes next?

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I guess the answer to that question, in short, would be the following:

• Buy our dining plan
• Buy our park tickets
• Customize our magic bands
• Plan our FP+ selections
• Plan our touring schedules

I would like it if all of this was done before I went back to school at the end of August. Especially the park tickets, if we want our FP+ choices, we have a very specific window that we'll need to buy them in but that's a story for another time.

Should I probably be filling this PTR up with important, timely updates that are relevant to those important factors? Yes. Will the reality be that I disappear for weeks at a time and then come back with a silly post about all the different types of wine I want to drink while I'm down there, then come back the next day with a post jam-packed with loads of important information I neglected to post about the day earlier? Also yes.

... putting words down on a computer is, uh... difficult...

​

I'll just give you guys, yet again, another rundown of a few ongoing events related to the trip.

The DVC Website is Wack
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One thing we've been actively trying to do over the course of the past few weeks is buy the Disney Dining Plan, which is the one thing DVC member website has made as difficult as possible for us. Here's how that's supposed to work for anyone who has never used the DVC website:

• Log into the website
• Go to "My Vacations"
• Click on "Travel Plan Details" for the vacation you want to look at
• On that page, click "Add Dining Plan."

Last week, we tried to do that, and when we got to Travel Plan Details, "Add Dining Plan" had mysteriously disappeared. I was like, okay, no big deal, it's kinda late on a Sunday, so I'll try again tomorrow. I tried intermittently to add a dining plan to the vacation throughout this week, but when I got to "My Vacations," every time I tried to click on "Travel Plan Details," it took me to an error page. Today I tried again and I got back to the right page, but there was still no option to add a dining plan. We'll just call Saturday and have them manually add a dining plan from there.

I'm a Brand Enthusiast!
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I'm so excited to announce that I'm an enthusiast for a brand new small shop, UP-Cycled Disney Shop. Check out my new Disney IG "tinkerkait" to see how you can save money on these really cute pins.

I Bought A Coffee Cozy!
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Last week, I caved and ordered a coffee cozy from Wonderland Treasures Co. I am smitten with it! It came in the mail really quickly and is so high quality. I can't wait to bring it to college and WDW with me! It's Gus Gus from Cinderella.

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And, last but certainly not least...

We're Going Back to Disney!
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It feels SO weird to know that we'll have our next trip planned out before we even leave for this year's trip. We'll be going back over the summer again, tentatively August 11-17, 2019. We're going to book at the Poly on our 11-month mark, but as we get closer to the trip, we want to move from the Poly to the Beach Club.


That's it for today! Speak to you again hopefully soon.
-Kaitlyn

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[the2ndstar2theright]

I relate to this so much Our ADR day is Saturday, and I haven't updated my PTR since like February. It's fine.

 

[Newsies]

I relate to this so much Our ADR day is Saturday, and I haven't updated my PTR since like February. It's fine.

Writing is just so hard!!! Why!!!! Why must it be difficult!!!!! But also, I can't wait to see what ADRs you plan for this trip so please post about them!!!