"You and me, we're in a club now!" - a DFTW/Disneymoon/Vacay August 2017 PTR

[2disneywego]

Ooh, MNSSHP!! Yay! I've only been once in 2010 in October and it was fantastic.

We went with our friends from England and their 3 yr old boy. They dressed up as Jessie, Woody & Buzz (the little boy) in bought costumes.

My DH wanted no part of dressing up until he saw me making my costume, Perdita from 101 Dalmatians.

Then I got the plaintive whine, "Where's my costume?"

I bought cotton white capris & tshirt for myself. Made numerous fabric stamps from a blown up photocopy of a real Dalmatian and threw in a few hidden Mickeys for good measure. Ears were a headband with homemade floppy ears from purchased Dalmatian remnant fabric, as were tails stuffed with batting to the right curve, then attached with velcro to make bathroom accommodations "easier". I bought stretchy headbands for collars then went to Petsmart and made personal dog tags with Pongo & Perdita in the correct colors. I purchased inexpensive spotted sneakers, threw in good insoles, and used facepaint for black noses & whiskers.

One of my favourite memories is the Villain meet and greet. We got up to Cruella, and without discussing it before, both DH & I dropped to our knees and begged her for our puppies back. Cruella was amazing, never broke character, "loves puppies", and kept complimenting us on our beautiful pelts....er coats. The handlers were bent over in laughter, taking their own pics.


The parade was amazing, even DH who hated parades. We were showered with candy, plenty of interaction, even though we were back due to DH's height. When Cruella went by we hissed and booed, and she remembered us!! She pointed out "those terrible parents who lost their puppies! ".

I know you have serious food allergies, but the treats are secondary, and maybe your DF can partake.

So many guests took our pics, refusing to believe we weren't CMs. Photopass photographers loved finding our hidden Mickeys.

Ride CMs kept asking about the other 99 puppies in our party! Loved the parade and fireworks, especially the perimeter fireworks and rode many rides.

Our friends wore purchased nylon costumes from Disney and sweltered, in fact, had to leave early due to heat exhaustion for their little boy.

Our costumes were easy to make, cool and comfortable, can't over-emphasize the velcro tails for bathroom breaks, sitting for snacks and some rides.

I need to figure out how to post pics so can see a happy, proud 6'3" Pongo, and me too.

I'm hoping to go back to MNSSHP one day. It's great fun, spooky, not scary, parade &trick or treating are not to be ignored. My DH raved for weeks about the quality and quantity of the treats. The CM interaction can be wonderful if you play along, as much or as little as you want.

I've been to MVMCP many times and that's my favourite, but I can't find fault with MNSSHP. Great safe fun, with super parade, CM interaction, and so much fun.


I'd love to go again, in fact had my homemade Marie costume planned for last year, but life decided otherwise. I still have all my costume components, including ears, tail, makings of a furry front tshirt, pink stage makeup for my nose, and other components. Including requisite "cattitude"!!

We always took advantage of the 4pm opening to get the most out of ticket, and not wear ourselves out too much.

Not sure if you're interested, but I would be interested in meeting you and any other Disers (at separate times if wanted) to meet (drive-by style if desired) on August 25th. I can move this part of the post to a separate thread so as to not hijack your thread!


Don't forget August is HOT, so design your costumes appropriately if dressing up.

And, no, if you're there, August is not too early for MNSSHP!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time when you went to the party. I'm sure your costumes were "spot" on.

I know you have serious food allergies, but the treats are secondary, and maybe your DF can partake.

As expected, Disney takes care of its guests with special diets. They have tokens they give out at trick or treat stations for people with allergies, and then you can redeem them at a special location for treats, games, and candies that are free of the top 8 allergens.

 

[2disneywego]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time when you went to the party.

As expected, Disney takes care of its guests with special diets. They have tokens they give out at trick or treat stations for people with allergies, and then you can redeem them at a special location for treats, games, and candies that are free of the top 8 allergens.

I'm not really surprised just really happy that you should be able to partake!

 

[ariane37]

Speaking of exciting! An exciting development for our Disneymoon: tickets for MNSSHP went on sale yesterday and I got our tickets to the Aug. 25 party!

Oh man, now I wish I'd picked the 25th instead of the 29th!!

Is it weird and early to celebrate Halloween in August? Maybe

I feel like I might have told you this already?? I told someone lol. We did the party in Aug. back in 2014 and it did feel weird at first, especially since I had sweat dripping in places it shouldn't be and at Halloween in NY it's usually very cold. But once we got to the park and 7:00 rolled around and the festivities started, I didn't care if it was August, October, or January because I was at my favorite thing that ever happens in WDW

I'm cutting my hair off on the trip that we'll go as a dumbed-down/summer-clothes version of Peter Pan and his shadow

I like the idea

And BTW, really hoping we get to meet on Friday!!

 

[fallonkendra]

Ok, I've pretty much only read the introductions so far. I'll get caught up eventually...

1. You mentioned you have a music degree. I know you're a Maritimer - you didn't happen to attend Mt.A did you? If so, what years were you there BECAUSE I WENT THERE TOO! (I wasn't there for music, and I didn't even finish haha, but I spent 2 years there pretending to go to classes and then another year just hanging around Sackville because I had already signed a lease with some friends before deciding I wasn't going back.

2. Your fiance's art is amazing! Does he happen to know his schedule for shows for next month? I'll actually be back in the Maritimes for 10 days at the end of June, and I think I need to own one of his pieces.

3. I love your Anna look! So well done!

Also - I haven't read your December trip report, but did you get engaged at Animal Kingdom?

 

[fallonkendra]

Ok, I had a little bit of free time at work, so I tried to get caught up on a bit more

Breakfasts:

• Cape May Cafe (a treat for just the two of us the day before the wedding, new for us!)
• Crystal Palace (the morning after the wedding day for my side of the family)
• Kona (new!)
• Be Our Guest (PPO. Currently at 8:20, but I keep stalking to see if an earlier time will open up. We've done lunch and dinner but never breakfast, and we've never done a PPO breakfast before )
• Ohana (breakfast is new for us)
• Boma (x2)
• Tusker House

I am not a breakfast person at all, but yum Boma breakfast! It was one of my favourites on our last trip! I also love Tusker House, but we tend to try and get a reservation for about 10:30-10:45, that way we can hit up both the breakfast and lunch buffet

Lunches:

• Beaches and Cream (new!)

This was also a big hit on our last trip!

Dinners:

• The BOATHOUSE (new!)
• Boma (in place of a formal reception for all our guests)
• Ohana (also for my side of the family the day after the wedding)
• Kona (new!)
• Coral Reef
• Cape May Cafe (new!)
• Sanaa (new!)
• Hollywood Brown Derby

Mmm, Saana was another favourite on our last trip! I absolutely loved it

Added bonus: RANT #1!

So I mentioned some life updates/rants in my previous post. I guess every family probably has them, and big life events like weddings/births/deaths/etc. always seem to bring out issues... Seems that there are two particular causes for concern/stress surrounding this wedding, one on each side of the family. I'll throw N's family under the bus first!

So while neither of us were born into wealth, N's family had more kids than mine, so they tended to be even more frugal. While their financial situation is in good shape these days and they'll retire comfortably, and while we'd intended from the get-go to fund our wedding ourselves, his parents weren't thrilled at the price tag of a Disney wedding. But more than that, his side of the family is mostly more traditional and conservative (also religious) than mine, or than he and I currently are. We met at Bible camp and still hold many of those values, but we're much more open and liberal than we once were. This is causing some friction, to say the least...

...a Disney wedding is NOT the traditional wedding they envisioned for their son. They're coming around a bit now (his mother and one of his sisters are finding Disney things to be excited about,) but we got an awful lot of flak for how "selfish" it was to have a destination wedding that his whole ginormous family was not invited to or could not afford to attend.

As families do, they seem to feel they get to have a say in our plans: "If you want to have a small wedding, why not just have a small wedding here and then have a honeymoon in Disney?" "Why summer in Florida? Why not over Christmas break in December?" "You should fly! You don't want to drive. You know she can carry on her wedding dress right?" Etc. The biggest issue right now is over the fact that I will not be changing my name — a decision that's important to me, and that N and I agreed on together. It's hurtful to them that I won't take their name, and shows a lack of commitment on my part to N/our marriage/the family/etc. Of course, if N were asked to take my name, that's just "not the way it's supposed to be!" They'd never expect him to. But they don't think that's sexist... I have a list of good reasons why I'll be keeping my name, not that I should have to defend that decision to anyone, but they're not really interested in them. And of course, these things typically come out as complaints to N behind my back every time he visits his parents/sister/etc, and they're not discussed in front of me, like I'm not even part of the equation...and they wonder why he doesn't visit home more often.

Oh, and another recent development! They've offered us weekly bribery money to go to church. Apparently they've been doing it with his youngest sister for some time now. Never mind the fact that I already have a church I like to attend, but we both often work weekends (I guess the bribery money is supposed to make up for us missing work?) ...and also ignore the fact that faith should be a personal choice thing, and if we go to church it should be because we want to, not because we're being forced there...

GAH! Ok, end of rant #1. I realize these are small issues in the scheme of things, and we're lucky to have the families we do...but man, people gonna' drive the bride nuts!​

Ugh! We knew when we announced we were having a small destination wedding that it would be met with a bit of push-back, but surprisingly we haven't had anyone complain yet! (At least to our faces).

And bribing you to go to church? That's just crazy. I was raised fairly religious, but my fiance was not. I rarely attend church any more, but I did get my fiance to join me at a Christian concert once (one of my good friends from high school was in the band), and even that was a bit too much for him. I'm glad my religious family has never tried to push their beliefs on us.

Also - I don't plan on changing my name either. I do plan on giving our future children his last name however, since his last name starts with an A, and mine starts with a V - in elementary school they always lined us up alphabetically and I was always at the end!

First of all, my fairytale/princess-type company I work for is getting ready for our annual volunteer function.

What a cool job to have!

Then part-way through the week I got my official acceptance letter letting me know I got into a masters program at a university here in speech language pathology.

Congratulations! I'm guessing at Dal?

By the way, the bomb robot totally looks like Wall-E, which was a small comfort.

That whole situation sounds so scary! But now I'm picturing a little Wall-E

In other "We Be Stylin'" news...the girls' bridesmaid dresses have come in this week!

Pretty dresses!

Rant #2

Ugh! I have a similar situation with one uncle. We were always really close, but his fiance is a little odd. I'm his only niece on his side, but I can't get a straight answer about if they are attending my wedding or not. She has a niece who they do EVERYTHING for - like, they will drive the 8 hours to go see her, but won't even stop to say hi to me (and they drive within minutes of my house to get there). Ugh, family sometimes.

 

[MeghanEmily]

1. You mentioned you have a music degree. I know you're a Maritimer - you didn't happen to attend Mt.A did you? If so, what years were you there BECAUSE I WENT THERE TOO! (I wasn't there for music, and I didn't even finish haha, but I spent 2 years there pretending to go to classes and then another year just hanging around Sackville because I had already signed a lease with some friends before deciding I wasn't going back.

I should have read this before I replied to your thread. Yes, I went to MTA for music! Haha There probably wasn't too much overlap for us because I just graduated two years ago. Sackville is a crazy place! I love it, but it's such a quirky little town. Funny to think we walked all those same streets and probably hit up all the same haunts...(not like there are many options in Sackville!)

2. Your fiance's art is amazing! Does he happen to know his schedule for shows for next month? I'll actually be back in the Maritimes for 10 days at the end of June, and I think I need to own one of his pieces.

When he gets home tonight/tomorrow I'll ask him what his schedule looks like! It's entirely possible he's in the Maritimes for some of that time! He also does commissions and ships. I don't think he's got any shows this summer in Alberta. I think the farthest he's been was Winnipeg this year. I'll check in with him and let you know

3. I love your Anna look! So well done!

Thanks!! Our "fairy godmother" *cough*boss*cough* is very particular, but it means we always feel confident we're looking our best

Also - I haven't read your December trip report, but did you get engaged at Animal Kingdom?

I noticed you got engaged at AK! We got engaged at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was a big deal for us because we'd typically stay value or moderate, but we splurged because it was my dream resort and I'm giraffe-obsessed. He proposed when the giraffes came out onto the savannah in front of our balcony for the first time. ...he's a good boy.

Mmm, Saana was another favourite on our last trip! I absolutely loved it

So excited to try this for the first time!

And bribing you to go to church? That's just crazy. I was raised fairly religious, but my fiance was not. I rarely attend church any more, but I did get my fiance to join me at a Christian concert once (one of my good friends from high school was in the band), and even that was a bit too much for him. I'm glad my religious family has never tried to push their beliefs on us.

Yeah, we still consider ourselves fairly religious, but in a much more liberally-minded way, and I hope I never become the kind of person who would pressure someone else to treat their own faith in a certain way like that! (I also sang in a Christian band at my old church through high school )

Also - I don't plan on changing my name either. I do plan on giving our future children his last name however, since his last name starts with an A, and mine starts with a V - in elementary school they always lined us up alphabetically and I was always at the end!

That's hilarious!! I wish I'd had an A-last name! If we have children we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I like my last name better because Nathan has a less conventional last name he used to get teased for, but I also know it would mean a lot to his family if their grandkids had their name. And as much as I totally disagree with it, I know people will sometimes question paternity if kids don't have their father's name...and as much as I consider myself an injustice-fighting feminist through and through, I want my potential kids to be able to choose whether they want that path for themselves rather than forcing it on them by making them put up a fight when people question their name, etc. (side rant over.)

Congratulations! I'm guessing at Dal?

Thank you!! Yep! It was the only school I applied to because most of our family is around here and I didn't feel like moving immediately after getting married.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oh man, now I wish I'd picked the 25th instead of the 29th!!

Me too!! Oh well.

I like the idea

Thanks! Nathan is obviously nearly a foot taller than me...but we decided it only made sense since the party is in the evening when your shadows stretch in length anyway!

And BTW, really hoping we get to meet on Friday!!

Me too! Crossing my fingers and toes for us!

 

[missjackiemcg]

All caught up and just in time for your quickie trip!! How lucky are you?! Seriously though, I remember the stress and family drama of our wedding planning SO well. A trip to WDW would've been just the medicine I needed!! Enjoy!

 

[MeghanEmily]

All caught up and just in time for your quickie trip!! How lucky are you?! Seriously though, I remember the stress and family drama of our wedding planning SO well. A trip to WDW would've been just the medicine I needed!! Enjoy!

Thanks for making it over to this thread! Yeah, we're feeling pretty lucky right about now! Counting our blessings for sure. It feels like the perfect time for a whirlwind getaway!

 

[fallonkendra]

Ok, I'm finally all caught up - and just days before your next trip! Your budget-friendly trip sounds great! My dad and my cousin are actually in Florida right now, and they did the same as you're planning - they drove to Bangor and saved hundreds of dollars on a flight!

I swear by my Asics GT-1000's! I actually have the exact colour combo as you (those are the ones on the left), and they are so comfy!

I should have read this before I replied to your thread. Yes, I went to MTA for music! Haha There probably wasn't too much overlap for us because I just graduated two years ago. Sackville is a crazy place! I love it, but it's such a quirky little town. Funny to think we walked all those same streets and probably hit up all the same haunts...(not like there are many options in Sackville!)

Ahh, so yeah all of my friends would have been seniors when you were a frosh. What residence were you in?

 

[MeghanEmily]

Ahh, so yeah all of my friends would have been seniors when you were a frosh. What residence were you in?

I was in Edwards for two years and then off campus two years. I'm really chill and quiet, so I liked Edwards, but I was much happier in my own place!

 

[MeghanEmily]

The one where there are only two sleeps...
AKA "We're fitting everything in THERE?"

So this will be a short update because I've been feeling the busy/stress deal as of late, and because I need to spend my time doing some serious packing! I've got a few things to do tomorrow, some appointments, and a couple of hours of work, and then we'll be on the road. We'll sleep in my family home that night, and then drive to Maine to fly out on Thursday evening. I've been doing my best to get things together tonight, and I'm trying to stay excited, but I actually had my first panic attack in ages (it's probably been at least 4-6 months) so I'm also a little off. N's doing his best to be a nice solid foundation to lean on, and I know he's excited, too.

So being only two sleeps away meant that we needed to start cleaning out the perishable things in the fridge...which meant we had a TON of vegetables for supper tonight. My supper looked like a chicken breast, and then this...

It's an assortment of asparagus, zucchini, and fiddleheads. If you don't live far enough northeast to have ever eaten fiddleheads, just know that it's a thing around these parts to eat baby ferns. You can google it if you want. It's a real thing.

Being two sleeps away also means it's time for a purple packing party!!

So our airline charges for ALL bags. Even carryons. Really. We can have one "personal item" which includes a small backpack, so I bought a kids' Finding Dory backpack I'm very partial to. But we decided to save money and travel light, we'd pay for and pack ONE very very TINY carryon between the two of us, and check zero bags. This is seriously the tiniest suitcase I've ever seen. It's so leeetle and adorable.

But this means we're only packing the bare essentials. We're wearing a travel outfit and packing one park outfit. Then after the first park day, we'll wash our clothes in the sink and re-wear them in the opposite order. Since we're not checking a bag, this also means that I will have limited to no hair products, makeup, etc. Because I guarantee you that if I need to choose whether to take makeup or a dozen single serve packs of peanut butter in my allotted quart-sized ziplock, there will be absolutely no competition. Peanut butter wins every time. I'm not done packing yet, and I'm running out of ways to creatively cram things into the space. Wish me luck. Heaven help us when we inevitably buy souvenirs despite our good intentions.

Between the limited packing, and the heat of May in Florida...this means lots of french braids, and lots of looking like an absolute ragamuffin who takes no pride in her appearance. @ariane37, you've been warned.

We're also wearing one pair of shoes each, and packing one pair of shoes that will be good if they get wet. For me that's crocs (which double as my blister-saving shoes,) and for N it's a pair of adidas flip flops. My wearing pair...I debated for quite some time whether to take sandals or sneakers. I have all those lovely new running shoes, after all. In the end, I went with my Keen sandals. They'll dry faster than sneakers if we get downpours, and while they're comfortable enough normally, I'm not sure if they're Disney-proof or not. Walking at Disney is a whole other ballgame, and it's impossible to tell until you try, so I thought a two-day trip would be a good test for them to see if I should bring them in August or not.

I've been finding little tricks here and there to make the carryon thing more functional, like for instance: I soaked a dish sponge in dish detergent and let it dry completely, then cut up the sponge, and will have them to do our few dishes at the timeshare. Doesn't count as a liquid now that the soap is dry! Etc, etc.

This may or may not be my final update until after the whirlwind weekend trip, so just in case, see ya real soon!​

 

[MeghanEmily]

BTW: I don't really "get" Instagram. I have a pathetic number of followers, and I rarely post. But that's likely where I'll be posting a few pictures from MayWhirlwindWeekend, in case anyone wants to see them. I'm @meghanemilymclean on the Insta! ​

 

[fallonkendra]

Fiddleheads! I can't get them out here in Alberta, and it's been years since I've had them.

 

[Raeven]

I followed you!

 

[afwdwfan]

Being two sleeps away also means it's time for a purple packing party!!

And this removes any doubt as to what your favorite color is...

In the end, I went with my Keen sandals. They'll dry faster than sneakers if we get downpours, and while they're comfortable enough normally, I'm not sure if they're Disney-proof or not. Walking at Disney is a whole other ballgame, and it's impossible to tell until you try, so I thought a two-day trip would be a good test for them to see if I should bring them in August or not.

I've heard great things about them. In fact, I went and bought a pair just for our trip this summer. I've worn them a few times to break them in. I typically wear croc flip flops or some Nike sandals I have because even if you don't ride a water ride it seems almost inevitable not to get your feet wet at Disney World and wet shoes/socks are the worst. I wanted something with some more arch support though because I have some foot pain from wearing other types of sandals all day and I'm really hoping the Keens will help with that.

Your minimal packing skills are very impressive. I hope you are past your panic attack and ready to enjoy a couple of days in Disney World!

 

[vrajewski10513]

So this will be a short update because I've been feeling the busy/stress deal as of late,

GIRL. I feel ya

I've been doing my best to get things together tonight, and I'm trying to stay excited, but I actually had my first panic attack in ages (it's probably been at least 4-6 months) so I'm also a little off.

I get them occasionally too, so scary! HUGS!

My supper looked like a chicken breast, and then this...

I looooove asparagus and zucchini!! I live in the northeast, but apparently not north enough because I have no idea what fiddleheads are

Because I guarantee you that if I need to choose whether to take makeup or a dozen single serve packs of peanut butter in my allotted quart-sized ziplock, there will be absolutely no competition. Peanut butter wins every time.

Obvi.

Between the limited packing, and the heat of May in Florida...this means lots of french braids, and lots of looking like an absolute ragamuffin who takes no pride in her appearance.

I'm so happy to meet someone else who uses the term "ragamuffin" !!! And at least you can do French braids. I usually just blowdry my hair straight, then look like Mufasa by lunch time

In the end, I went with my Keen sandals.

Let me know how these work out! I've been eyeing them up but I'm unsure of the sneaker-like quality with no socks! I'd be worried they'd start rubbing and cause blisters.

This may or may not be my final update until after the whirlwind weekend trip, so just in case, see ya real soon!

HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!!

BTW: I don't really "get" Instagram. I have a pathetic number of followers, and I rarely post. But that's likely where I'll be posting a few pictures from MayWhirlwindWeekend, in case anyone wants to see them. I'm @meghanemilymclean on the Insta! ​

I followed you!!

 

[MamaCoop]

So sorry about the panic attack. I hope you are doing much better now! I am glad you said what the Fiddleheads were, I was looking and thinking, "what the heck?" Sorry I'm from Maryland too far south! Great job on the packing and good luck with no souvenirs! Have a great trip!!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Wow, kudos to you guys for packing so lightly. I don't think I could ever manage that! I went ahead and followed you on instagram I look forward to seeing your posts! HAVE A WONDERFUL TRIP!!!