Young At Heart: The #BirthdayFestivus13 Adventure!!! 5 UPDATES, 1/8!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jeni16]

I've been reading on your trip report how much you & your friends like pin trading. I wanted to start a Disney tradition with my DS on his first trip. He'll only be 2 but I thought it's something we could do as a family. It will be fun to trade a few pins & buy a pin or 2 each trip to commemorate something that happened on the trip.

Any tips for a newbie? I have nothing & know nothing about it.

Thanks!

 

[SeanofStarCommand]

Another wonderful trip report, Lia! Brava!

 

[__disneygirl]

Hi everyone! Thank you SO MUCH for all the kind comments!

I love you guys. It's so nice knowing you are all following along for my adventures. STAY TUNED because you are all in for a huge treat once I edit my photos from this past trip. I have written a lot of it and it is SO MUCH FUN to write about and relive! I'm still not over what a great time we had! I never will be! Also REALLY stay tuned for the future because if things go my way I sure am going to have a lot more to write about! So send some pixie dust my way, please! Here are just a few responses to those of you who asked me questions, but just know that I read and love every single message. Thank you

Aww, I can only imagine how tough it was to say goodbye. Of course, I'm less sad knowing that you were reunited a few months later, but still sad.

OMG AKL. I finally vitiated it and was (obviously) blown away. While I appreciate the safari in AK, actually being able to just chill and watch freaking giraffes without being cut off as your vehicle moves on is just heaven.

SOOOOO glad for the Ichabod pin necessitating a trip to the Beach/Yacht/Boardwalk/Epcot Resort Area. Any 'ol excuse will do.

AHHH, I haven't seen that Mickey Power pole in ages but I do love it. Only in Florida.

Awww still love that bedding JUST FOR YOU.

Oh My God that is SO FREAKIN' CUTE that picture of you two from 2000. Friends for life no doubt.

I was waiting to see if you went to the dogs, lol. Of course I knew you would. Also curious if there would be a return of "Kevin".

Lia, your reports are just so amazing. I can't believe this one is actually over. I remember way back when the expectation was this one would still be going on many years later, lol. I guess when another trip jumps into the mix, it helps speed things up. Thank you, as always, for this one and all the incredible detail and Disney love, and I am ridiculously excited for the next one and HAUNTED MANSION DANCER!!! Boo... To... YOU!!!

I love that you remembered "Kevin"! We decided not to go see him because it was too soon. I wish I lived closer to him though cause I would LOVE to talk to him right now since it's been over a year since the last time. He does phone readings but I feel awkward about that, idk.

Thank you and thanks always for your great replies to my updates!

WHERE!!!???!!??!?!?!? If you're in Jersey, right outside NYC, we must be neighbors!! So you must (please) tell me where I can get this!

I loved the TR. You crack me up and find the words to express exactly how WDW makes me feel... Thanks for sharing and can't wait for the next one!

Here you go: http://cupcakesbycarousel.com/ The one I was talking about is the Curious George cupcake!

Thank you!

Oh how I wish I had discovered Disney when I was a child or young adult!

Your stories are hysterical.

We are DVC owners w/ our home resort as Boardwalk Villas, I so hope you get to stay there some day. (have you ever considered renting points?) You could stay at a DVC resort in a studio, for probably not much more than you pay at Port Orleans or Pop. pm me if you want more info....

Love the picture of you and Gina at ten.

I can't wait to get back to WDW and try the cupcakes!

Thank you for writing these reports, you make me smile!

Thank you so much! Yes I have considered renting points. I was all set to do it in fall 2009 but then I had to cancel my trip It SUCKED. Luckily I got to go back in April 2010 but didn't rent the points! I really should do that someday!

I've been reading on your trip report how much you & your friends like pin trading. I wanted to start a Disney tradition with my DS on his first trip. He'll only be 2 but I thought it's something we could do as a family. It will be fun to trade a few pins & buy a pin or 2 each trip to commemorate something that happened on the trip.

Any tips for a newbie? I have nothing & know nothing about it.

Thanks!

Well the biggest tip is to by trader pins on ebay in bulk. They are really cheap (Like $13 for 25 pins as opposed to paying $6-$12 or more per pin in the parks) and you just get a mix of random pins. It doesn't matter which ones you get because their sole purpose is to be traded away. That way when you're in the parks you can look for pins that you like and trade your traders for them. It's really the cheapest and most fun souvenir in my opinion cause it's so much more special and fun than just going into a store and buying something. It's like a hunt.

Tons of Cast Members wear lanyards with pins on them. You can trade with any of these CMs and the only rule is if you want one pin from them you must give them one pin. You can give them any pin and get whatever you want from their lanyard. They will never say no. Everything is fair game so you can trade away a crappy little trader for an amazing limited edition pin. This happens to me all the time. I can't believe the great pins I get that are worth a good amount of money. If I didn't want to keep them I could probably make a couple hundred dollars on ebay.

The other places to trade pins are pin boards and pin books. These are found at the hotel front desks, DVC desks, and stores. You can find them at some stores in the parks too. Sometimes there are rules with the pin boards... like they are only out at certain times and they won't let you see the board if it's not the right time. They'll say, "Come back between 4 and 5 PM." The other thing is sometimes they will only let you trade 2 pins at one time, or if there is a crowd waiting for the board to come out they will say "First come first serve and one pin only."

I think that's pretty much it! As far as buying pins... I rarely do that as they are expensive and it's SO MUCH more fun to hunt for them. It's such a rush to find a pin I really love! But if you are going to buy pins I think it's fun to buy a pin that corresponds to a memory from your trip. Like buy the pin of the resort you are staying at, or if you ride a ride 5 times in a row, buy a pin from that ride. Those are good for the scrapbooks.

 

[heathsf]

Here you go: http://cupcakesbycarousel.com/ The one I was talking about is the Curious George cupcake!

Oh that's funny I've been to the one in Ridgewood! And I used to go to the movies in Montclair almost every week and never knew it was there! What a waste!

 

[deedee2177]

Sending tons of pixie dust your way! Hope all your plans work out the way you hope they do!

Looking forward to the next TR....thanks for sharing yet again a wonderful trip with us. Your TRs have made my wait for our April Trip a bit easier

 

[jeni16]

Well the biggest tip is to by trader pins on ebay in bulk. They are really cheap (Like $13 for 25 pins as opposed to paying $6-$12 or more per pin in the parks) and you just get a mix of random pins. It doesn't matter which ones you get because their sole purpose is to be traded away. That way when you're in the parks you can look for pins that you like and trade your traders for them. It's really the cheapest and most fun souvenir in my opinion cause it's so much more special and fun than just going into a store and buying something. It's like a hunt.

Tons of Cast Members wear lanyards with pins on them. You can trade with any of these CMs and the only rule is if you want one pin from them you must give them one pin. You can give them any pin and get whatever you want from their lanyard. They will never say no. Everything is fair game so you can trade away a crappy little trader for an amazing limited edition pin. This happens to me all the time. I can't believe the great pins I get that are worth a good amount of money. If I didn't want to keep them I could probably make a couple hundred dollars on ebay.

The other places to trade pins are pin boards and pin books. These are found at the hotel front desks, DVC desks, and stores. You can find them at some stores in the parks too. Sometimes there are rules with the pin boards... like they are only out at certain times and they won't let you see the board if it's not the right time. They'll say, "Come back between 4 and 5 PM." The other thing is sometimes they will only let you trade 2 pins at one time, or if there is a crowd waiting for the board to come out they will say "First come first serve and one pin only."

I think that's pretty much it! As far as buying pins... I rarely do that as they are expensive and it's SO MUCH more fun to hunt for them. It's such a rush to find a pin I really love! But if you are going to buy pins I think it's fun to buy a pin that corresponds to a memory from your trip. Like buy the pin of the resort you are staying at, or if you ride a ride 5 times in a row, buy a pin from that ride. Those are good for the scrapbooks.

Thanks! Sending Pixie Dust your way!

 

[jeni16]

One more question about your pins. I know you're really busy but I noticed the pins you got off of e-bay when you were at Disney. These look like really good quality pins & not the scrappers I've been reading about. Do you mind sharing which seller you buy them from?

 

[Ceryssa]

Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us! Your trip reports are so much fun to read, I love your enthusiasm! We're taking our first trip this October and although I'm super excited, reading your reports makes me feel like I was there too! So thanks for helping tide me over during the loooong wait! Can't wait to read the next one

 

[__disneygirl]

Hi guys! So first I want to say, again, thank you for all the kind words and for following along!

THE NEW TRIP REPORT IS UP!

Lia and Jess's Hot and Fancy Halloween and Christmas Party Trip!

One more question about your pins. I know you're really busy but I noticed the pins you got off of e-bay when you were at Disney. These look like really good quality pins & not the scrappers I've been reading about. Do you mind sharing which seller you buy them from?

The user I buy them from is "domimgood"

 

[RachelNinja]

This was such a fun TR! I came over from Jess's TR, and I loved every update that I read. I'm happy that you have another one ready so I don't have to be without one for too long! I saw your pictures on Instagram (I'm @loveandsushi), but I love being able to read the stories behind everything once everyone's home.

 

[AbbyMarie]

I stayed up until 1am finishing this report, but then I was too tired to comment! Thank you for sharing all of your adventures with us! Your enthusiasm and love of Disney is amazing, and I really enjoy your writing style.

Now I need to get started on your next one because......we are going back to WDW! I'm really nervous because we haven't been since 2008 (due to time constraints we have been heading to DL instead), and everything I have been reading about FP+ has me a bit worried. We will be there 11/27 through 12/3 and I want to do SO MUCH because it will probably be the last trip for a while (our boys are 16 & 18, and DH wants the two of us to start vacationing in places that aren't Disney related......um, what!!!). Anyway....maybe you'll talk a bit about FP+ and MagicBands in your next report, which I must go start now.....

 

[summerw]

Just finished and loved it. We're planning on a por royal room may 10-20 but your report has me a little worried about heat and crowds now, but I live in ca so I know how random the weather can be. I wanted to comment to let you know how much your report touched me from how happy it all makes you to being there to hug Jess (I follow her reports too and was glad you were there for her then) to your friendships to the old pic of you and Gina which just made me tear up.

thanks for posting and I'm heading over to the new one now.

 

[__disneygirl]

This was such a fun TR! I came over from Jess's TR, and I loved every update that I read. I'm happy that you have another one ready so I don't have to be without one for too long! I saw your pictures on Instagram (I'm @loveandsushi), but I love being able to read the stories behind everything once everyone's home.

Thanks for comin on over, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I stayed up until 1am finishing this report, but then I was too tired to comment! Thank you for sharing all of your adventures with us! Your enthusiasm and love of Disney is amazing, and I really enjoy your writing style.

Now I need to get started on your next one because......we are going back to WDW! I'm really nervous because we haven't been since 2008 (due to time constraints we have been heading to DL instead), and everything I have been reading about FP+ has me a bit worried. We will be there 11/27 through 12/3 and I want to do SO MUCH because it will probably be the last trip for a while (our boys are 16 & 18, and DH wants the two of us to start vacationing in places that aren't Disney related......um, what!!!). Anyway....maybe you'll talk a bit about FP+ and MagicBands in your next report, which I must go start now.....

Aww LOL I do that too. You are welcome. Thanks for all the nice comments.

Don't be nervous about fp+, I've heard even when it screws up it ends up alright cause they'll make it up to you, give you double Fastpasses or something. We didn't use it on our trip though. Our magic bands were linked to our room only and they were no problem.

Just finished and loved it. We're planning on a por royal room may 10-20 but your report has me a little worried about heat and crowds now, but I live in ca so I know how random the weather can be. I wanted to comment to let you know how much your report touched me from how happy it all makes you to being there to hug Jess (I follow her reports too and was glad you were there for her then) to your friendships to the old pic of you and Gina which just made me tear up.

thanks for posting and I'm heading over to the new one now.

Don't be worried, it wasn't that bad, like I said there were only 2 days out of 14 that the heat bothered me enough to negatively affect me. Just stay hydrated and don't overdo it, take breaks in the afternoon when it is the hottest, and you will be fine.

Aww that's really sweet. I love my friends! I'm glad I could share our friendship stories with you guys!