Our Grandest Trip Ever... Literally! - August 2019 PTR *TR LINK POSTED 8/25*

[dolewhipdreams]

Yay magicbands but boooo awkward in between period of an absolute void with nothing to do but wait.

But hey at least there's the Dis!

 

[Newsies]

Ugh Disney IT and MDE is such a headache. They def should be able to merge the ghost accounts- we had to do it in the past!

MM sounds incredible!

I'll be calling them at some point after work next week-- so glad you hear it's a problem you've had fixed before!!!

We're really excited for MM!

Yay magicbands but boooo awkward in between period of an absolute void with nothing to do but wait.

But hey at least there's the Dis!

The Dis is LITERALLY how I deal with this void, so after camp ends next week, expect like three PTR updates a day that are all like "hey guys just updating to let you all know that I washed a shirt and put it in my suitcase things are coming along great talk to you later!"

 

[Newsies]

Slowly, but Surely...​

I'll start this update with the biggest news first, which is that we've finally added the Disney Dining Plan to our reservation! With the DDP finally secured, our vacation is finally complete!
I think I can finally say I've started packing for this trip! I'm the last in my family to do so, but hey! I'm here!

True to my word, I did start dealing with the consequences of shoving all my winter clothes into my Disney suitcase on Friday night. I cleaned out half of the rack on my closet, so that was enough to hang up everything that was in my suitcase, which was 80% winter PJs, 10% sweaters, and 10% random assorted Disney t-shirts that don't actually fit me anymore and can't come with us to Orlando this year.

​

I got my suitcase emptied and then went out with my friend for dinner, so I didn't *actually* pack anything in the suitcase that night. I started yesterday after a bit of shopping with the family. First, we went to Torrid so I could buy two more pairs of shorts. At this point in the summer, Torrid is no longer selling shorts anywhere other than the clearance rack, so my pickings were slim and the shorts I bought are a little longer than I would want them to be, but beggars can't be choosers and they should look fine considering most of my shirts are oversized, anyway. This is great news, because that means I'm basically done buying clothes for this trip! I would ideally like a new pair of Nike trainers before we go, but if we can't get them before the we leave, I'll live.

Then, my family went on our most Sacred of Pre-Disney Family Vacation rituals... The Annual Travel-Sized Toiletry Run.

My mother is obsessed with the concept of us going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond before every Disney vacation so that we can all pick up travel-sized toiletries, medicine, and other odds and ends before we head down south. She loves Bed, Bath, and Beyond (as we all do), so she is always excited to use Disney as an excuse to shop there. I will save the photos until it's time for me to post my "what's in my (x) bag" posts, but here's a quick run-down of everything we got today:

• Mouthwash
• Toothbrush covers
• Floss
• Moisturizer
• Deodorant
• Tide To-Go Stick
• Neutrogena Make-Up Remover Wipes
• Micellar Water
• Razors
• Shaving Cream
• Tylenol
• Advil
• Ear plugs
• Breathe-Right strips

There are a few things that I don't bring travel-size versions of when I go on vacation-- I use toothpaste that I can't often find in travel-sized version, all of my hair products are local to my salon and therefore don't have travel-sized versions, I normally just lug my giant bottle of skin cleanser with me because my skin is sensitive and I swear on my life that the travel-sized version of Cetaphil is different than the regular-sized version of Cetaphil. But everything else I get at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I also didn't get body wash today, since we like to go to Bath & Body Works for our travel body wash and PocketBacs!

We also bought O2Cool fans! Everyone in the August 2019 planning FB group was talking about them, so we decided we would try them for this trip.

Earlier in the summer, my mom, Grace, and I went to BB&B to get Grace some stuff for college. As we were checking out, the cashier sold us on a Beyond+ membership. Beyond+ is the loyalty program at BB&B, which costs $39.99 a year to join. You'll get free shipping on every order, and 20% off of every purchase you make! When mom bought it, she ended up saving about $30 that initial purchase, so she practically paid off her membership that day! We saved about $30 yesterday, too! Definitely one of the most useful reward programs I've ever seen, especially since BB&B is one of the best places to go before you leave on any vacation!

Anyway, when we were done at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I finally started *actually* packing my suitcase. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I had more clothes than I realized for this trip! All of my outfits are planned out, I'm just waiting for another shirt to be shipped out and sent to me. It's been a productive weekend in the house so far!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Wow! Sounds like a very productive weekend.

Your whole family sounds so organized with packing lol. I'm usually running around like a looneybird the day before a trip throwing everything into a suitcase! I'm impressed!

 

[Newsies]

Wow! Sounds like a very productive weekend.

Your whole family sounds so organized with packing lol. I'm usually running around like a looneybird the day before a trip throwing everything into a suitcase! I'm impressed!

Disney brings out the productivity in my family!

Normally, I'm pretty organized and on top of things. But Disney is the ONLY occasion where the rest of my family thinks anything out more than three days before we leave. We go down the shore every September for the annual NJ Firemen's Convention, and I'm pretty sure dad doesn't put anything in his suitcase until the morning we leave

 

[dolewhipdreams]

we've finally added the Disney Dining Plan to our reservation!

Bring on tha food!!

At this point in the summer, Torrid is no longer selling shorts anywhere other than the clearance rack,

Why do stores do this? Like it's still hot out, why do we start selling sweaters when we are still sweating?

My mother is obsessed with the concept of us going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond before every Disney vacation so that we can all pick up travel-sized toiletries, medicine, and other odds and ends before we head down south.

I have seriously never even heard of going there for travel sized stuff! Interesting. I usually go to Target (and end up with a crap ton of stuff I didn't need)

There are a few things that I don't bring travel-size versions of when I go on vacation-- I use toothpaste that I can't often find in travel-sized version, all of my hair products are local to my salon and therefore don't have travel-sized versions, I normally just lug my giant bottle of skin cleanser with me

Don't worry I'm the same, especially at Disney. And even when they do make my hair products in travel size it's only like $3 cheaper than the full size and that's just rude.

 

[rdkeim]

Been following along as you plan your latest family trip. I can feel the excitement! I'm similar to your Mom when it comes to travel sized stuff. It just says vacation. I also buy the travel size empty bottles and fill them with shampoo and conditioner. Works well. Hope the next few weeks go fast for you!

 

[Newsies]

Bring on tha food!!

Why do stores do this? Like it's still hot out, why do we start selling sweaters when we are still sweating?

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. The fuzzy pajama pants are going to do me VERY little good when I don't survive the rest of the summer because retailers stop selling summer clothes in May.

I have seriously never even heard of going there for travel sized stuff! Interesting. I usually go to Target (and end up with a crap ton of stuff I didn't need)

I'm sure ever BB&B is different, but the one by us has a HUGE wall of travel-sized toiletries that are really cheap! Mom is obsessed with it. With our Beyond+ membership, we saved a lot of money, too!

Don't worry I'm the same, especially at Disney. And even when they do make my hair products in travel size it's only like $3 cheaper than the full size and that's just rude.

Yes!!! I know Garnier minis are like $3 cheaper but somehow only 1/16th of the size? Why do they DO this?

Been following along as you plan your latest family trip. I can feel the excitement! I'm similar to your Mom when it comes to travel sized stuff. It just says vacation. I also buy the travel size empty bottles and fill them with shampoo and conditioner. Works well. Hope the next few weeks go fast for you!

Thank you so much for checking in, I really appreciate it!

We're all so excited to start the drive down. Mom feels the same way: it's not "vacation" unless she's using a travel-sized bottle of shampoo!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Okay my life has been insane, and I've been MIA, but WOW so much has happened!! Your trip is so close, and those magic bands are adorable!! Also I 100% agree that the travel size Cetaphil is different from the regular size--my travel moisturizer is a completely different consistency than the big one!

 

[Newsies]

Okay my life has been insane, and I've been MIA, but WOW so much has happened!! Your trip is so close, and those magic bands are adorable!!

I feel you!!! I can't keep up with the DIS anymore A LOT of things happened all of a sudden with this trip, and it's getting SO close!!!

Also I 100% agree that the travel size Cetaphil is different from the regular size--my travel moisturizer is a completely different consistency than the big one!

I am so relieved to hear that I'm not going crazy!!! The travel moisturizer is ABSOLUTELY not the same as the regular sized one!!!

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi Kaitlyn! Trying to get to know some new dis friends so I took some time to read through your ptr so far this evening.

First of all, I feel your pain in regards to the back spasms. I go through that process about twice a year. A few years ago I did that. Folding laundry. 1 week before I was going to Disneyland. Some steroids, muscle relaxers and some really good pain meds usually get me back upright and mobile in a couple of days. Sorry you had to deal with the stress of that coupled with finals. I hope things worked out without hurting your grades too much.

I'm with you on FOP too. Im glad I'm not alone. I was never a fan of Avatar and the land is immersive but... I just don't care. FOP is a pretty great ride, but if I had to pick between it and Everest, I'll take the Yeti over the banshee every time. L loves FOP though and it is still a fun ride so always a priority for us. Sorry you couldn't get FP for SDD. Those late FPs though... I'm a rope dropper too so I give you credit for your patience and willingness to abide by the request of the late risers.

One comment on your epcot plans... if your family really does want to do illuminations and not spaceship earth, it might be worth booking a throw away FP early in the day that they won't use and let it expire so you can get illuminations with a 4th fp... not sure about August but I noticed illuminations being available late in the day during our trip.

Sorry the Riverdale Con was such a rollercoaster, but you got some really good pictures and I'm glad it turned out to be such an awesome experience for you and Grace!

Disney IT... that is probably the most profane thing that is allowed to be written on these boards. I totally get the frustration. I had a dummy account on a second email because we did a trip a few years ago where I had a convention ticket for an afternoon and then a package with tickets. MDEwas relatively new then and I was afraid of the wrong ticket getting used at the wrong time so I set up 2 separate accounts to avoid that. When we booked our most recent trip I noticed that all my tickets and MBs from both email accounts were now all in my real account. Kind of scary that they "fixed" that without my consent given that they essentially combined accounts using 2 different emails, one of which was under Andy, the other Andrew. Anyway, depending on how much you really care to spend time trying, you might be able to call IT and get them to merge the "old" Tom and Grace accounts with the "new" ones. Those bands might just carry over without resorting to tiny screwdrivers and mismatched pucks.

 

[Newsies]

Hi Kaitlyn! Trying to get to know some new dis friends so I took some time to read through your ptr so far this evening.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I really appreciate it!

First of all, I feel your pain in regards to the back spasms. I go through that process about twice a year. A few years ago I did that. Folding laundry. 1 week before I was going to Disneyland. Some steroids, muscle relaxers and some really good pain meds usually get me back upright and mobile in a couple of days. Sorry you had to deal with the stress of that coupled with finals. I hope things worked out without hurting your grades too much.

Ugh, I'm so sorry you go through that! My grades ended up being fine for the semester, but it was a stressful process. I was back to normal in about a week.

I'm with you on FOP too. Im glad I'm not alone. I was never a fan of Avatar and the land is immersive but... I just don't care. FOP is a pretty great ride, but if I had to pick between it and Everest, I'll take the Yeti over the banshee every time. L loves FOP though and it is still a fun ride so always a priority for us. Sorry you couldn't get FP for SDD. Those late FPs though... I'm a rope dropper too so I give you credit for your patience and willingness to abide by the request of the late risers.

Yes! So glad you understand me! Pandora is beautiful, and a technical/imagineering marvel... but I can't stay interested in it. I love Everest, too, and would pick it over NRJ. I haven't been on FOP yet, but it sounds like a lot of fun, and I'm excited to try it!

I know. The late FPs are . On any other vacation we've taken, I would be extremely unhappy to have such late FP choices, but this time, they might be necessary for me. Even though I'm a rope dropper, it's probably smart of me to contain myself in my room for another hour or two of sleep with all of the late-night shenanigans we have going on this trip. I have a feeling if I don't, I might be a little cranky by the time we reach Thursday

One comment on your epcot plans... if your family really does want to do illuminations and not spaceship earth, it might be worth booking a throw away FP early in the day that they won't use and let it expire so you can get illuminations with a 4th fp... not sure about August but I noticed illuminations being available late in the day during our trip.

This is a good idea! I'll look into it, thank you!

Sorry the Riverdale Con was such a rollercoaster, but you got some really good pictures and I'm glad it turned out to be such an awesome experience for you and Grace!

We had a lot of fun!

Disney IT... that is probably the most profane thing that is allowed to be written on these boards. I totally get the frustration. I had a dummy account on a second email because we did a trip a few years ago where I had a convention ticket for an afternoon and then a package with tickets. MDEwas relatively new then and I was afraid of the wrong ticket getting used at the wrong time so I set up 2 separate accounts to avoid that. When we booked our most recent trip I noticed that all my tickets and MBs from both email accounts were now all in my real account. Kind of scary that they "fixed" that without my consent given that they essentially combined accounts using 2 different emails, one of which was under Andy, the other Andrew. Anyway, depending on how much you really care to spend time trying, you might be able to call IT and get them to merge the "old" Tom and Grace accounts with the "new" ones. Those bands might just carry over without resorting to tiny screwdrivers and mismatched pucks.

It really is the worst! I don't understand why their websites are so complicated and messy. I would be extremely concerned if Disney tried to combine two different accounts of mine. I'll be calling IT at some point this week to get the old accounts merged with the new ones.

 

[Tink2Day]

It's getting close Kaitlyn!! All the trials and tribulations will be so worth it! Have fun and say hi to Timmy from Tink2Day!!

 

[Newsies]

It's getting close Kaitlyn!! All the trials and tribulations will be so worth it! Have fun and say hi to Timmy from Tink2Day!!

We are getting SO close!! Timmy and I will absolutely be thinking about you when we see each other!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Its always so fun when everything starts to come together!! Now that I have moved out my Mom and Calista tend to do the travel sized goods run without me which always kind of bums me out! But I'm glad you were able to get everything you needed!

 

[Newsies]

Its always so fun when everything starts to come together!! Now that I have moved out my Mom and Calista tend to do the travel sized goods run without me which always kind of bums me out! But I'm glad you were able to get everything you needed!

I am so excited for this trip!!! By the way-- Are you still hunting for CG Brunch for your September trip? Our reservation finder has been such a let down for us so far, but I'm curious to see if you've gotten anything yet!

 

[Cloe Colton]

I am so excited for this trip!!! By the way-- Are you still hunting for CG Brunch for your September trip? Our reservation finder has been such a let down for us so far, but I'm curious to see if you've gotten anything yet!

Still on the hunt!!! *********** popped up one a couple of times but they were never there once I finally got logged in. But I'm still hoping!!

 

[Newsies]

Still on the hunt!!! *********** popped up one a couple of times but they were never there once I finally got logged in. But I'm still hoping!!

Same story here!! I caught one on MD immediately over the weekend and it was STILL too late. I was very upset At this point, though, I'm a little tempted to let it go for this trip. We already have everything planned out for The Wave, and I don't want to lose any FP+ because a Brunch opened up at 1:00 in the afternoon. There's always next trip!

Please update if you catch one!

 

[Newsies]

Our Travel Plans​

Hey everyone! I'm going to WALT DISNEY WORLD this month!!!

​

I realized today that I never updated this PTR with our travel plans! Even though they stay mostly the same every year, I always find it helpful to talk about the process of getting to Disney World as we learn to master the I-95. I can't believe two weeks from right now, we'll be gearing up for our road trip!

My family drives to Walt Disney World every year. From our home in NJ, it's a 1,100-mile drive to our happy place. When I bring it up to most people, they immediately cringe because a drive from one end of the coast to the other in a full car in the August heat doesn't sound fun for anyone, but my family really enjoys it!

My mother doesn't fly. She refuses to.

So instead of flying from EWR to MCO, every trip to Disney we take demands a road trip! In good traffic, we would be able to complete the drive from our front door to the mouse house in less than 20 hours. We tend to stretch things out a little bit. We leave NJ on a Friday night, drive through Saturday, stop overnight, then arrive on a Sunday!

The Friday we leave is a very ritualistic day. The parents take off of work to get us ready to go. Dad always has to get his car washed. Mom, Grace, and I always have to get manicures. We'll stop the mail, board our dog, and finish packing up the back of dad's pick up truck. Maybe a run to get some road trip snacks. Then we'll grab dinner at 4-5, and dad will be asleep by 6. By 11:30 in the evening, we'll be out the door! After a stop at the 24/7 Dunkin' in town, we're off. We'll spend about an hour on the Jersey turnpike before we find ourselves on I-95.

The earlier in the evening we leave, the better off we'll be. We've always found that the worst traffic on I-95 is between Jersey and Washington D.C; with the worst of the worst being the Baltimore and D.C. area during the day. If we leave at 11:30, we'll find ourselves passing Baltimore by 3:30, and D.C. by 4:30. Driving through these areas at odd evening areas ensures we won't get wrapped up in any crazy traffic.

We stop for breakfast and lunch, then drive until we get to Kingsland, GA. Kingsland is the very last exit off of i-95 in Georgia, so we're only about 3 hours away from Disney at this point. I recommend this exit if you need to stop before you get to Disney! It's well-lit, and there are a lot of clean restaurants and hotels. We always book the hotel room we stop at. For a long time, we've booked a room at Fairfield Inn & Suites Kingsland, but this year, we found a better rate at a similar hotel. I will let you know how we like it!

In the past, we've typically left at 6-7 in the morning. But last year... we left at 4 in the morning, because mom wanted to have breakfast at Kona Cafe and rope drop Magic Kingdom. It was crazy, but this year, we're going to do it again! We got to Disney at around 7:30 in the morning, so we even saw minimal traffic in Orlando.


Driving back up is a lot more casual. We'll leave the GF at 7 in the morning, stop for gas, and then head North. We don't normally book a hotel room coming back up, but we try to stop in the Rocky Mount, NC area. We're normally there by 9 in the evening. The next day, we'll keep driving. This time, we'll have to brave that Baltimore/D.C./Jersey traffic; which always adds about an hour onto the commute. Typically, we'll arrive in Jersey anywhere between 6-8 PM!

Today was Grace and I's last day of camp. It was so bittersweet. I had the best group of campers this year, and I don't know if I'll be returning next year! I'm really going to miss my kindergartners and my counselor family. But we have a big weekend ahead of us, and now I can focus 100% on Disney!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Oh man, count me into the group that cringes at the idea of a NJ to FL road trip! It sounds like you guys have it down to a science, though. It's getting so close...