Take me back to our Happy Place - a July 2020 PTR * BRIEF update 5/27*

[lauren_elizabeth]

Joining along! I’ve read your other reports before and loved them! Disney for the 4th sounds awesome and y’all are going to have an amazing view staying at the CR!

If y’all haven’t watched All American on Netflix, we all really enjoyed it!

 

[ariane37]

This is an excellent strategy. I will adopt it for myself now

It's worked pretty good so far. I will admit after he announced the lockdown being extended through 5/15 yesterday I lost it for a bit but I seem to have regained my composure and will continue my thinking strategy for the next month with a HUGE hope that I don't need to continue after that!

Yeah, it always makes me chuckle when the entire REST of the state is referred to as one giant other category. But as far as smaller cases of this, I'm glad we're both considered "the rest of NY".

It's like when you tell people you live in NY and they assume NYC - only in reverse

It’s just been announced here that lockdown will continue for at least another 3 weeks

Ugh so sorry! When does that bring you to?
Cuomo ended up announcing yesterday that our quarantine is now through 5/15 so I need to restart my 30 day lockdown countdown again I sincerely hope things here start to (slowly) open at that point.......

f your new magic bar recipe turns out good please share- we could all do with some magic these days!

So I just made them again last night using a slightly different recipe. Same ingredients but different amount of butter and different order basically. I'll post them both here when I updated again!

We will all come through this together. Chins up everyone xx

Yes we willl xoxo!

Joining along! I’ve read your other reports before and loved them!

Well hello and so happy to have you here! And thank you for the kind words I hope you like this one, PTR's aren't my specialty lol! But it's definitely helping pass the time.

Disney for the 4th sounds awesome and y’all are going to have an amazing view staying at the CR!

We loved it last year! Thanksgiving is definitely my fave holiday to spend in Disney but I'll do every 4th from now on too if we can.

If y’all haven’t watched All American on Netflix, we all really enjoyed it!

Funny you suggest this because Ricky recently watched it and keeps telling us to! Will put it on the list!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Ugh so sorry! When does that bring you to?

That brings us until 7 th May but the General consensus is it will be extended again. Schools are still saying they are unlikely to be open until September ( our kids are normally off July and August for summer).

Cuomo ended up announcing yesterday that our quarantine is now through 5/15 so I need to restart my 30 day lockdown countdown again I sincerely hope things here start to (slowly) open at that point

I think that’s what we are all finding the hardest to deal with- the unknown end date! But then again I don’t really think anyone knows anymore and everyone, governments included, are just playing it by ear. All we can hope for is that the health service copes and a vaccine takes less time than normal to develop. I’m so grateful for all those who are working to keep the rest of us fed, watered ( or possibly wined and dined), safe and healthy They really are the heroes of the day!

I look forward to the magic bar recipes. Let us know which one is closest to Disney’s version

 

[ariane37]

hat brings us until 7 th May but the General consensus is it will be extended again. Schools are still saying they are unlikely to be open until September ( or kids are normally off July and August for summer).

I highly doubt ours will reopen this year either but still hoping they figure something out for the seniors.

I think that’s what we are all finding the hardest to deal with- the unknown end date! But then again I don’t really think anyone knows anymore and everyone, governments included, are just playing it by ear

I do agree 100%. I also think the gov't does not want to say anything will open "so and so weeks from now" and then have tons of people thinking okay, if it's going to be alright in 3 weeks it should be alright now so I'll go out more/ have a party/ etc. Because you know that would happen!

I look forward to the magic bar recipes. Let us know which one is closest to Disney’s version

I posted them just for you in my dining report! I'll probably post here too but since I updated there first thought I'd throw them in

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Speaking of fun here's my favorite holiday to add to the list. And as an FYI this is the very first time I;m posting a GIF here on the boards which means there's a 50/50 chance it'll show up when I hit post:

Ha! I am not gif savvy either, to be honest. And Elf is my favorite Christmas movie.

LOL funny you say that! Yesterday he spent time with us for Ricky's birthday and then today, surprisingly enough he helped em color Easter eggs! Ricky is always around since he hangs downstairs in his man cave and has to walk through the kitchen to the bathroom and also needs the kitchen a few times a day for his energy shakes and he'll play board games with me. Chris is just a whole 'nother story!

Morgan comes down once in awhile. Now that school is back from spring break, she is back to hiding in her room. sigh...

We'll be getting our ketchup on at Whispering Canyon Cafe! I had dinner here last May and surprisingly loved my meaty skillet and all the fixin's that come with it. I know the boys will also love the skillet.

Perfect for the boys. All they can eat!

did you have any doubt - grab an arrival night one (or few) of these:

Better stock up!

he said nope to Schitt's Creek FYI .

Hmmm. I was going to say Schitt's Creek, Andy and I are watching it now. It did take awhile to grow on me. But what about The Office or Parks and Rec? Did you guys ever watch Lost when it was on? The 1st season is worth watching. Nailed it on Netflix is soooo funny.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I think it's called 1922 and it's on Netflix

It's on our list. LOL!!!!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Oh man I should try booking CG brunch for that day before we go to DS! As of now we probably won't leave until 11 at the earliest and possibly a bit later - what time is your brunch?

Our reservation is at 12:20!

LOL I've heard of that. Speaking of teeny bopper I started watching "Pretty Little Liars" on Netflix early last summer and was HOOKED but had to watch when Steve wasn't around as he didn't like it at all - no surprise. So I started like late May and got through most of season 6 but then had like a week where I was too busy to watch. Got back to it only to find the series had been removed from Netflix 2 days before I STILL NEED TO FINISH IT!!!!

Oo I love Pretty Little Liars lol. So much drama but addicting. Oo noooo! I didn't know they took it off Netflix- that's terrible!

 

[kittylady1972]

Made it over here and while hoping your trip in July will happen...I have to admit I don't feel great about the parks opening before August at the earliest. I would love to return for July 4th again so maybe if there is a hint of parks reopening we'll plan a last minute trip as well.

I think your governor and ours in Maryland are pretty much staying in sync. Our schools also extended the closure/online learning through May 15th but I honestly don't expect them to open up at all this year. I'm sad for all of the seniors, yours included.

I have spent the weekend looking at our old Disney trip videos...some real classics there. I watched most of Spectromagic (miss that parade) and a lot of Hoop de Doo today. Yesterday I saw some of the old Lion King show that used to exist...with the small puppets not the great show it is today. I've also seen some clips of the old Tarzan show they used to have as well. There was quite a bit of cruise video from the Dream, Magic and Fantasy ships. DH and I had an adults only cruise on the Wonder and not much video on that one. I REALLY want to do another Disney cruise...are you looking to reschedule yours at all?

 

[ariane37]

Ha! I am not gif savvy either, to be honest. And Elf is my favorite Christmas movie.

It was surprisingly easy! In fact I've done a few now lol

Hmmm. I was going to say Schitt's Creek, Andy and I are watching it now. It did take awhile to grow on me. But what about The Office or Parks and Rec? Did you guys ever watch Lost when it was on? The 1st season is worth watching. Nailed it on Netflix is soooo funny.

Steve brought up Schitt's Creek last night and I had to remind him he hated the first episode I probably shouldn't have but maybe he'll give it another go. Going to look at Nailed it, haven't heard of that one!

Our reservation is at 12:20!

Hmm ok! Well as it get closer we'll definitely figure out a time to meet

Made it over here and while hoping your trip in July will happen...I have to admit I don't feel great about the parks opening before August at the earliest.

Hey Dina, glad you're here I have accepted that our Memorial Day trip will pretty much definitely be cancelled but until they get that far into May cancellations I'm not giving up on June; for us and for all the client reservations I then have to move AGAIN lol! I will also be in the parks asap and I don't see all of WDW staying closed through the summer so we'll have to continue the waiting game and see

think your governor and ours in Maryland are pretty much staying in sync. Our schools also extended the closure/online learning through May 15th but I honestly don't expect them to open up at all this year. I'm sad for all of the seniors, yours included.

Yeah he's very in line with Maryland, NJ and CT and PA. right now. I've also accepted schools won't reopen even though we're only officially closed through 5/15 and still hoping there is some type of graduation for the kids between now and the start of college.

I have spent the weekend
looking at our old Disney trip videos.

Nice way to pass the time!

I REALLY want to do another Disney cruise...are you looking to reschedule yours at all?

Ugh no not yet. With Ricky going away it's hard pinning down a time the 4 of us can go; he doesn't want to go over Christmas as he rather be free to spend time with friends here. The boys spring breaks don't line up starting next year. We thought about August but don't know yet when Ricky will move in, if there will be some type of graduation, etc. I was just quoting someone for November and a few around Thanksgiving are priced really well which made me really want to rebook but I think we'll end up waiting until next summer. I gotta say the prices are really good now if you're interested!

 

[ariane37]

Happy Monday all! Thanks for the suggestions on what to watch, put a few of them on our list. I think Kelly brought up Mad Men? I watched all but the last season about 5 years ago during the summer while Steve was working. I knew he'd like it so we did start season 1 again and are about 8 episodes in. He actually pointed out in one scene in the Draper's house that Don is carrying the local newspaper upstairs and it's OUR local newspaper, the Poughkeepsie Journal! I get so excited when Poughkeepsie is on TV it's stupid lol.
Got quite a bit of work/cleaning done this weekend including Steve repainting our kitchen. I guess I'll consider that the upside of quarantine I've also pretty much accepted our Memorial Weekend trip will get cancelled and I'm ok with that; now I focus on June and if that does materialize I'll post about it! For now let's move forward with more July plans...............................

JULY 4TH
​

Our first full day will be the 4th and we'll be waking up at the Contemporary! This makes it super convenient for how we'll spend our night but I'll get to that.
I mentioned that I didn't necessarily have an early morning planned because, well, teenagers. This is Christopher's favorite thing to do regardless of where we are or what we're doing:

and Disney is no exception. So I try to do a couple early mornings because we do find that they're productive, but also want the least amount of arguing.

We do have a tour at 11am this morning at AK and I think we're all looking forward to it (maybe even Chris!). Back in May I did the Up Close With Rhinos tour with Jenny @Jenny Sanders and her husband Joe. It was an adults only trip and Steve wasn't there yet; I loved it so much I really want the guys to do it. It's only once a day at 11 so we really don't need to be to the park before 10:30.
You aren't allowed to take pictures during the tour but because I love and miss my DIS friends, here's a shot of Jenny, Kelly @buzzrelly and I sometime after the tour



and me with one of our tour guides:




Notice the uncooperative bangs in this shot - mine not his Even though we don't NEED to be there until about 10:30, AK has EMH at 8:00 that morning and I will ask if anyone wants to go for them. Steve is up by 6-6:30 every morning and I actually expect Ricky to want to go. FOP is currently his favorite ride in all the parks and he usually will take any opportunity to ride. so if we do go for 8 we'll head on over to Pandora at opening with the mass of other holiday guests.

The tour will be over by noon and I know I'll be hungry! Or possibly at this point



I won't want us to eat LARGE given our plans for later so I may suggest Satuli. Steve and I ate there back in May 2017 during the Pandora AP previews and I sneaked a kids meal during my "work" trip in October, but the kids haven't been as as far as QS goes in AK I think it's near the best option. Of course there's always NOMAD LOUNGE which all four of us love! In fact last year during our July 4th trip the boys were able to meet our DIS friends Renee @ArielSRL and her DH Chad as well as their boys. It's not often that my DIS friends get to meet the boys since we usually leave them home, and regardless of what I say here I am proud of my guys and like to show them off. Here they are with Renee's boys last July at Nomad:



I think going to Nomad will depend on how hot it is and if there's seating available inside! After we eat we'll go back to our resort to chill; if we were at AK for EMH the boys and I will definitely need a nap! We do have plans late into the night and they start with a 4:30 reservation in the MK here:




Now, if you are reading my current dining report you know that while we really enjoy the Plaza, I was less than thrilled in January to be there a mere TWO days after they took my fried green tomato sandwich off the menu Be that as it may, their sangria is lovely and Ricky is always craving a milkshake so this will fit fine. And it's early because we've also booked the dessert party for tonight. Not sure I'll be glad we did or not..................

We've done the dessert party here years ago when it was Wishes, along with the Fantasmic! dessert party and the Jingle Bell Jingle BAM dessert party. Basically nobody has loved them. However we know from last year that the MK gets super packed a few hours before the 4th fireworks start and last year we saw them from Narcoossee's, which was nice, but I kind of want the full experience this year. And we are 100% not the type of family who will wait in a spot for a parade or show for an hour or more, so to really have what's considered a prime spot I believe the dessert party is our best bet. Whether we feel it's worth the $$ remains to be seen! But I mean, nothing with desserts is ever TOTALLY bad.........

In between we'll do our fastpasses which I make on May 4th. Thinking I'll go for BTMRR, Splash, and either 7 Dwarfs or HM. And that'll be that! We'll stay as long as everyone wants and if the kids want to go back right after fireworks, they can just walk on back to the CR. This, if I didn't mention it, is the main reason we booked the Contemporary for the first 2 nights. Last July 4th we were at MK; the kids left around 8:15 and we hightailed it over to Epcot for their fireworks:





Got a really good front row spot near the UK literally 3 minutes after the show started! However we did not get back to the CR until after midnight because of transportation snafu's beginning with the line for the monorail looking like this

Do you get the feeling I really like this gif thing now that I figured it out?? The line for Minnie Vans looked almost as bad. As you may know Steve is not a fan of the buses or the monorail so being able to walk will basically save the rest of the trip from being stressful - believe me it's true!

And that wraps up our first full day. Bets on what details we change??

Before I leave you tonight here's some fun albeit useless info you didn't ask for : our very first onsite Disney resort was OKW back in 2007, when Steve could still trade his timeshare points with DVC. Not knowing any difference between that and the other Disney resorts, we loved it! Another fun fact: I was holding Ricky in the pool, bouncing him up and down, accidentally dragged him under the water, and he threw up in the pool And to this day, if we're on DME and we pass OKW, Ricky will go "isn't that where you tried to drown me and made me throw up in the pool?"

Not their first time meeting Mickey but first time that trip:



Chris loved taking a bath every morning! Yup, he liked things back then:



Thanks for continuing to read! And now answer me this, it should be interesting to see where everyone started out! Please don't be jealous of my editing skills.

 

[pkondz]

He actually pointed out in one scene in the Draper's house that Don is carrying the local newspaper upstairs and it's OUR local newspaper, the Poughkeepsie Journal!

Cool!

I get so excited when Poughkeepsie is on TV it's stupid lol.

I'm the same way with my home town. The other day we watched a movie (Breakthrough... not bad), that looked awfully familiar. We paused it and Googled and... it was partly filmed here!

This is Christopher's favorite thing to do regardless of where we are or what we're doing:

Wait... he can actually do that????

Back in May I did the Up Close With Rhinos tour with Jenny @Jenny Sanders and her husband Joe. It was an adults only trip and Steve wasn't there yet; I loved it so much I really want the guys to do it.

I want to do this one!

Notice the uncooperative bangs in this shot - mine not his

Thanks for the clarification.

I was less than thrilled in January to be there a mere TWO days after they took my fried green tomato sandwich off the menu

What? Not cool, Plaza!

Bets on what details we change??

Ummm… almost all of them?

Another fun fact: I was holding Ricky in the pool, bouncing him up and down, accidentally dragged him under the water, and he threw up in the pool

And to this day, if we're on DME and we pass OKW, Ricky will go "isn't that where you tried to drown me and made me throw up in the pool?"

Chris loved taking a bath every morning! Yup, he liked things back then:

Because you didn't try to drown him in it?

Up until I had kids, I always stayed at a cheap hotel/motel off site. I think always in Kissimmee.
About 15 years ago, we stayed on site at POR.
For years my siggie had the years I'd been plus the words "Never going off site again!" after that year's trip.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hmm ok! Well as it get closer we'll definitely figure out a time to meet

Back in May I did the Up Close With Rhinos tour with Jenny @Jenny Sanders and her husband Joe.

Oo we loved this tour!

And to this day, if we're on DME and we pass OKW, Ricky will go "isn't that where you tried to drown me and made me throw up in the pool?"

When we went as kids, it was my older sister's Make A Wish trip so we stayed in Give Kids the World village. Then my first trip back as an adult in 2012, I had no idea what I was doing planning and didn't even know that Universal/Disney/Seaworld weren't all in the same place but we stayed at the Best Western in the Disney Springs area. From there, the addiction was born and I hit the Dis and my first onsite stay was at Pop in 2013!

 

[buzzrelly]

Thanks for the suggestions on what to watch, put a few of them on our list. I think Kelly brought up Mad Men?

Yup…I'm on season 3 and kind of hating Don right now I know I'll love him again soon but that's why this show was so good.

He actually pointed out in one scene in the Draper's house that Don is carrying the local newspaper upstairs and it's OUR local newspaper, the Poughkeepsie Journal!

How funny! Last night I was watching an episode and Don and his paramour were going to take a day trip to the Norwich Inn and Spa…in Connecticut. I thought that was a goof even though I've never been there and I doubt Norwich, CT would ever be a likely destination these days for a fancy New Yorker.

here's a shot of Jenny, Kelly @buzzrelly and I sometime after the tour

I love this trip

AK has EMH at 8:00 that morning and I will ask if anyone wants to go for them. Steve is up by 6-6:30 every morning and I actually expect Ricky to want to go. FOP is currently his favorite ride in all the parks and he usually will take any opportunity to ride. so if we do go for 8 we'll head on over to Pandora at opening with the mass of other holiday guests.

We will be rope dropping AK right along with you. Nicholas loves FOP and he's an early riser anyway. I'm not sure about Mike and Kaleb…they seem to have a tough time getting going in the am and Mike won't ride anyway, so we'll see.

I was less than thrilled in January to be there a mere TWO days after they took my fried green tomato sandwich off the menu

I'm hoping it magically appears again by the time we get back. If not, I'll go back to what I used to always get, The Plaza Club.

Got a really good front row spot near the UK literally 3 minutes after the show started! However we did not get back to the CR until after midnight because of transportation snafu's beginning with the line for the monorail looking like this

So we are doing our MK dessert party on 7/3 and I was thinking about going to EPCOT on 7/4, but we'll see how it goes. We're not even sure EPCOT was going to do a holiday overlay and honestly, we may not want to fight those crowds anyway. I was also thinking about TOTWL as an option for 7/4 but who the heck knows what's happening up there yet. Last year they made it a paid for party so even people staying there couldn't go up. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Another fun fact: I was holding Ricky in the pool, bouncing him up and down, accidentally dragged him under the water, and he threw up in the pool And to this day, if we're on DME and we pass OKW, Ricky will go "isn't that where you tried to drown me and made me throw up in the pool?"

Good times

And now answer me this, it should be interesting to see where everyone started out! Please don't be jealous of my editing skills.

We stayed one night in the North Garden Wing (now BLT) at The CR in 2003. I was pregnant with Allie and we were in GA visiting my dad so drove down for the day. I had no idea we could walk to the MK at the time

Our "real" first trip onsite was in May 2006 and like you, we stayed in a 1-bedroom at OKW. I'll have to find the picture of my kids in that same tub! Nicholas also learned to swim underwater in that pool. And one night I left the kids with my ex and went to the MK by myself ( not being a huge traveler, this was a big deal for me to go by myself) to watch Wishes for the first time ever. I got an amazing spot right in the hub and cried like a baby. OKW will always have a special place in my heart

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Aw look at happy smiley wee Chris I feel like I've had a teenager in the house for forever!!!!! This is what happens when you space 3 children a decade (almost) apart!
The first few times we visited WDW we stayed offsite at Riu, Lake Buena Vista or The Grosvenor /Regal Sun on Hotel Plaza then we finally saw the light and made it to POFQ in 1995/6 and that was it! I was totally sold on on-site though it took my family a while to catch up so we have had a few stays at he Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and once at Universal but my heart belongs to Yacht Club when finances allow

 

[buzzrelly]

Now you’ve got me walking down Memory Lane. I hope these pictures post since I’m doing them a different way. And of course, don’t mind the quality. They are all pictures of pictures because nothing was digital yet.


The kids in the OKW bathtub...




Nicholas at the OKW pool before he would take off the vest...




And this one cracks me up...Allie eating her Happy Meal in AK. Remember when McDonald’s was there?!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We stayed at OKW when our two oldest grandsons were 8 and 10 years old, and the younger one loved the big bathtub. He also loved the 2br villa and said it was his favorite part of the trip.

A perfect split stay would include CR on July 3rd and an Epcot resort on July 4th. Then you could walk back to your resort from both firework shows. I could never get my husband to agree to that, though.

Our very first Disney resort was the Contemporary. That was back in the day when MK was the only park. Our son almost drowned in the CR pool because in those days they did not allow flotation devices.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Got quite a bit of work/cleaning done this weekend including Steve repainting our kitchen. I guess I'll consider that the upside of quarantine

Last week was our "spring break" and Rob and I finally painted our bedroom!! It's been on our list since we moved in 14 years ago!! The people who lived here before us LOVED sponge paint, so our room was pepto bismol pink with white sponge paint on top. HIDEOUS. I can't believe we lived with it for 14 years. And I LOVE how it came out! We actually used paint leftover from two other rooms in the house, so we saved some money, too. 3 walls are light gray, and an accent wall that is sort of a teal/aqua color. I'm so in love with it!

Whether we feel it's worth the $$ remains to be seen! But I mean, nothing with desserts is ever TOTALLY bad.........

Aren't drinks included now? Hopefully that makes it worth it! But I'm thinking having a spot to watch without having to be crammed in/waiting for hours will be worth it anyway.

Another fun fact: I was holding Ricky in the pool, bouncing him up and down, accidentally dragged him under the water, and he threw up in the pool And to this day, if we're on DME and we pass OKW, Ricky will go "isn't that where you tried to drown me and made me throw up in the pool?"

LOL, that's a great story!

Chris loved taking a bath every morning! Yup, he liked things back then:

Well, I mean, he still likes being in the hotel room, so not much has changed, right?! This is an adorable picture!

Please don't be jealous of my editing skills.

AMAZING skills!!!! It reminds me of that movie, The Ring!

My first on-site stay was in 2000 when I had just graduated from high school. My best friend and I did a Land and Sea package and stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter for 3 nights before our cruise. I stayed there again with my Mom in 2005 and on my Honeymoon in 2006. Pop Century was our first family Disney vacation stay in 2004, and with the exception of those 3 POFQ stays, that's been our "home" at WDW since!

 

[Sandiz08]

Following your posts, July 7-15 over here for my sons birthday. I’m laughing at these pics of kids in bathtubs. Leave it to us moms, I have some from our first trip to the beach club.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Now, if you are reading my current dining report you know that while we really enjoy the Plaza, I was less than thrilled in January to be there a mere TWO days after they took my fried green tomato sandwich off the menu Be that as it may, their sangria is lovely and Ricky is always craving a milkshake so this will fit fine. And it's early because we've also booked the dessert party for tonight. Not sure I'll be glad we did or not..................

RIP Fried Green Tomato sandwhich... But it will def be good to have a reservation on a busy day like that, for sure!

We've done the dessert party here years ago when it was Wishes, along with the Fantasmic! dessert party and the Jingle Bell Jingle BAM dessert party. Basically nobody has loved them. However we know from last year that the MK gets super packed a few hours before the 4th fireworks start and last year we saw them from Narcoossee's, which was nice, but I kind of want the full experience this year. And we are 100% not the type of family who will wait in a spot for a parade or show for an hour or more, so to really have what's considered a prime spot I believe the dessert party is our best bet. Whether we feel it's worth the $$ remains to be seen! But I mean, nothing with desserts is ever TOTALLY bad.........

Are you doing the before desserts? Again, on a busy night like that, I feel like it def becomes more worth it. They now have alchol included, so there is that....

We'll stay as long as everyone wants and if the kids want to go back right after fireworks, they can just walk on back to the CR.

PERFECT!

They Poly was our first resort. We knew nothing, and a friend recommended it for ease with the stroller and the monorail. And it was great. But we have discovered so many more great resorts!

IMG_0013
Chilling in the room. Back then we were back in the room by 8 every night!

Our First Visit to the Poly
Us in the Volcano pool before they moved it 6"!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

My very first resort was The Contemporary, followed by Fort Wilderness and All Sar Music. LOL!