Six months and counting…But will I be able to walk by then? My Disney hopes and Fantasy wishes PTR About This Page:

[Tigger71]

Ohh I'm so sorry to hear about your designs being tampered with. You have made my family and friends so happy with all of the designs you have made for us!
I hope your leg is healing well and you can enjoy wearing all of your new heels!
Have fun planning your trip ('coz I'm having fun reading about it!)

[Colexis Mom]

Happy Anniversary! Love all the shopping purchases! Sorry about your site being hacked!

[JKnott17]

LOVE all of the dresses and accessories!! I'm so sorry to hear about your design site getting hacked, why on earth would someone do that?!

[Coop]

Checking in! Great plans and love the dresses! Sorry to hear about your site being hacked! I just don't understand people! Pixies for your leg!

[Grammy Grumpy]

Sorry to hear about your design site. I've enjoyed your designs so much and have used them on our last cruise (and you helped me with some too!). Hope the new site is great and we are able to continue to enjoy your work.

Love all the shopping adventures. You will be some of the best dressed ladies on board!

[emvenable77]

Your dresses look amazing! So sorry about the file sharing site. There are some terrible people in this world. Can't wait to read more of you plans!

[Cam22]

Great purchases! Happy Anniversary, too!

[Courtney892]

Checking in......horrified to hear about your photo site Some people are just really really awful. A similar thing happened to a friend of mine who had a scrapbooking site full of her designs, just baffling the way some people are!

Anyway I think your plans sound awesome. Grand Caymen is one of my favorite places to see bar none, the shopping there is great, and there are so many interesting things to see & do though it does seem like most cruise lines really limit your time here. My favorite is the Stingray sandbar.....I seriously would go here every day!! We actually flew to Caymen and spent 5 days here so that I could go more often and when the cruise ships weren't in

Cozumel is another wonderful island. Our favorite tour there was a power boat ride over to a private island for swimming and lunch. There was tons of shade on the island, but the shopping here is really good....especially if you feel comfortable stepping out of the real touristy areas and going to some of the more local places (and I don't mean far just a couple blocks). We got an amazing hammock for $15 and a 3 liter bottle of Bacardi Rum for $40!!!

Never been to Costa Maya, but the ruins sound really interesting.

As far as the shopping.......looks like you have made some beautiful purchases, and any of the other choices would definitely work, but that purple dress is completely stunning to me!! I think I want it and I am not cruising until next fall

Looking forward to the rest of your plans.......oh and my family is 1/2 from Cape Cod and 1/2 from just south of Boston, so it is nice to type to someone else who knows how to pronounce Massachusetts LOL

[OCEANGRLLG]

So sorry to hear that your photo site was hacked....hope the new site is workin out! Great dresses!

[MayraLR]

I'm loving all the dresses, especially the last one!

Sorry about your photo sharing site! I get so angry at the thought of people doing this. What do they gain by this?

[shadowryter]

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

All those dresses are BEAUTIFUL!!!!

So sorry about your photo site..............that is awful!!!!! I am one who really appreciates your hard work! You have such neat/beautiful designs!!!! I actually was looking there a few weeks ago for Halloween designs (we are going to the MNSSHP also - what day are you going again?)

Thanks...I'd like to think that I some fashion sense. But like I said this is our first seven day cruise and there's still a lot to learn. My designs are mainly now on Photobucket. It's been a lot smoother to work with. Now I just have to decide if I am going to close my 4shared.

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Love all the dresses!!!

Thank you so much!

Originally Posted by taylan1

Love all the dresses! So sorry about your site being hacked! Karma will find that person for such a stupid thing! I clicked on both your sites and I bookmarked them as I am always looking for things like that. You really have great designs!

Thanks and thanks.I just wish I could understand why anyone would do such a mean thing.

Originally Posted by Tigger71

Ohh I'm so sorry to hear about your designs being tampered with. You have made my family and friends so happy with all of the designs you have made for us!
I hope your leg is healing well and you can enjoy wearing all of your new heels!
Have fun planning your trip ('coz I'm having fun reading about it!)

Glad you're enjoying it...because I enjoy writing it.Designs will continue...regardless.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Happy Anniversary! Love all the shopping purchases! Sorry about your site being hacked!

Thanks so much and thanks for the anniversary wishes.

Originally Posted by JKnott17

LOVE all of the dresses and accessories!! I'm so sorry to hear about your design site getting hacked, why on earth would someone do that?!

Thank you...getting hacked is not fun...but I'm moving on.

Originally Posted by Coop

Checking in! Great plans and love the dresses! Sorry to hear about your site being hacked! I just don't understand people! Pixies for your leg!

Thanks for checking in and thanks for the pixies...I believe they are working.

Originally Posted by Grammy Grumpy

Sorry to hear about your design site. I've enjoyed your designs so much and have used them on our last cruise (and you helped me with some too!). Hope the new site is great and we are able to continue to enjoy your work.

Love all the shopping adventures. You will be some of the best dressed ladies on board!

Thanks so much.

Originally Posted by emvenable77

Your dresses look amazing! So sorry about the file sharing site. There are some terrible people in this world. Can't wait to read more of you plans!

Thanks...and more coming up...finally.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Great purchases! Happy Anniversary, too!

Thank you so much.

Originally Posted by Courtney892

Checking in......horrified to hear about your photo site Some people are just really really awful. A similar thing happened to a friend of mine who had a scrapbooking site full of her designs, just baffling the way some people are!

Anyway I think your plans sound awesome. Grand Caymen is one of my favorite places to see bar none, the shopping there is great, and there are so many interesting things to see & do though it does seem like most cruise lines really limit your time here. My favorite is the Stingray sandbar.....I seriously would go here every day!! We actually flew to Caymen and spent 5 days here so that I could go more often and when the cruise ships weren't in

Cozumel is another wonderful island. Our favorite tour there was a power boat ride over to a private island for swimming and lunch. There was tons of shade on the island, but the shopping here is really good....especially if you feel comfortable stepping out of the real touristy areas and going to some of the more local places (and I don't mean far just a couple blocks). We got an amazing hammock for $15 and a 3 liter bottle of Bacardi Rum for $40!!!

Never been to Costa Maya, but the ruins sound really interesting.

As far as the shopping.......looks like you have made some beautiful purchases, and any of the other choices would definitely work, but that purple dress is completely stunning to me!! I think I want it and I am not cruising until next fall

Looking forward to the rest of your plans.......oh and my family is 1/2 from Cape Cod and 1/2 from just south of Boston, so it is nice to type to someone else who knows how to pronounce Massachusetts LOL

Thanks so much...I plan on doing lot's of shoppping on this cruise. Excursions seem to change from day to day.My husband Dan is from Hyannis. He moved up to my neck of the woods and got a job where I worked. It was love at first sight and the rest is history.

Originally Posted by OCEANGRLLG

So sorry to hear that your photo site was hacked....hope the new site is workin out! Great dresses!

Originally Posted by MayraLR

I'm loving all the dresses, especially the last one!

Sorry about your photo sharing site! I get so angry at the thought of people doing this. What do they gain by this?

Thanks so much. My daughter told me that there are people (internet trolls, she calls them)who just go out of their way to ruin other peoples sharing sites. I feel sad for them.

[shadowryter]

Hi all...well I'm finally back and so sorry for the long wait. It's been a tough couple of weeks. My dad was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers. I've suspected that something was wrong for many years but to finaly know has been a bit mind blowing. Of course he denies that anything is wrong, didn't want to take his meds, mean to my mother and everyone else one minute...a happy little camper the next. We are all trying to wrap our heads around this and are thinking about the future and what to do next. Baby steps, I say.

So enough of that...the PTR will go on...kinds of keeps my sanity intact.

I finished a couple of more things on my to do list. I wanted to make sure that we had insurance for the cruise and also transportation back to MCO. Do you know that I didn’t realize that this could be accomplished just by modifying our reservations? So insurance has been added and for some reason a little less than I thought it would be and all though our DCL bus broke down on the way to the airport last year it was easier to do than the town car because they would not pick up at the port any later than 9 am. I know you have to be off the ship by then but I would like to have breakfast this time before we have to collect our bags and leave. I’ve also just managed to book our limo ride to and from the airport, so another thing checked off. Yeah…
　
I think just about all the shopping has been done. Heathers purple gown arrived last week and it is absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait to see it on her but that‘s not going to happen until she looses a few pounds. Oh and d-day has already started and into week two. That’s diet. My daughter and I are officially on Weight Watchers. We do the at home program and can also use the online tools. I’ve always had success with this and so has Heather…Ten pounds and counting. Wish us luck.

So since I’m such an avid planner, I thought that I give you an idea of what our itinerary looks like. I suppose I could just print out the spread sheet but telling you all about it seems like more fun. So here we go.

Day One…October 9th…
I’m hoping to go to bed kind of early but since we are all night owls I don’t see this happening. We have a 6:10 am flight out of TF Green in RI, which means the airport limo will be at our door at 3:10 am. We’ll arrive at MCO at 9:15 so I’m guessing our DME pick up will be around an hour later. (Note to self….book DME) I’m figuring we should be at our resort between 11:30 and noon. We’re staying at the Port Orleans French Quarter in a water view room. This is another first for us and if our room is ready we’ll check it out and if it’s not we plan on taking the boat to Down Town Disney either way.

This is a non-park day. We just want to do some shopping. I love World of Disney and then of course are all the pin stations. I’m not an avid collector but I do like to get a pin or two to remember each trip to Disney. Of course then you have the Vinylmation’s…Don’t get me started…Lol!! We want to head back to D-Street and this time do some shopping instead of me passing out. I’ve been forewarned by Dan and Heather, “Do not climb any more walls or anything else for that matter.” This is where I injured my leg last year and I’m still paying for my stupidity today. I’ve learned my lesson.


We have lunch reservations at Fulton’s Crab House, then later on it’s off to Ghirardelli’s to tackle the Earthquake. Should be fun and filling. We have no other plans until our late dinner reservations at the Yachtsman Steakhouse which we plan to just take a cab so we can dress a little nicer to “celebrate” a belated 23rd anniversary. I will be ordering a mini wedding cake for our dessert and will do this about two weeks out.

Day Two…October 10th…
I’m the early riser in this family so I’ll set my alarm for 6 am, get myself ready and then Dan and Heather. We should be headed out somewhere between 8:30 and 9. Last year Heather was sick with a sinus infection and on our Studios day we had EMH so imagine my surprise when everyone was up, ready and out the door before 8 am. We have the entire day here so there’s no rush. We’ll stop at Starring Rolls for a breakfast snack and some coffee and then it we’ll be off to Star Tours but this time Heather and Dan are not planning on riding 10 times though I’m pretty sure that Fast Passes will be involved. We’ll do our usual…ToT, Rock n’Roller Coaster, Indiana Jones and this time the Stunt Show since we just missed it last October when we decided to ride the Back Lot Tour. In all the times we had been to Disney, Heather has never ridden this until then, we also spent some time seeing the Beauty and the Beast show which is still her favorite Disney movie to this day. We have lunch reservations at Mama Melrose ( our only repeater) and later before the park closes dinner ressie’s at the Hollywood Brown Derby. We’ve never dined here and I’m looking forward to the new experience.

Day Three…October 11th…
Today is Magic Kingdom and it will be a long day since it will continue and end with MNSSHP. We’re starting our day off with breakfast at the Kona Café. I’ve been wanting the Tonga toast for what seems like forever. Due to my injury we missed this last year so I’m so ready this time. We’ll visit each land, hitting all the mountain rides and doing everything we can. I’m hoping some new areas of Fantasy Land will be open, then it’s off to our late lunch at the Crystal Palace. I’m planning on another mini wedding cake decorated for Halloween. I’ve dealt with Chef Brian at the Contemporary in the past so I’m pretty sure this one will be fantastic.

We haven’t been to the CP since Heather was four and thought it would be a nice lunch before we leave the park at around 5. Why leave now you ask? Well… to get ready for Mickey’s party of course. If it rains…well, I guess we’ll just stay but if the weather cooperates we are going back to our resort so we change into our party costumes. Last time we just wore our t-shirts which was fine but when we approached the gates we noticed that there were hundreds of party goers all dressed and I thought, maybe next time. Well next time is approaching and the Pirates of Rutland are going to party with the rest. Whoo hoo!!! Lol!

We’ll of course take in Mickey’s Boo To You Parade started by the Headless Horseman and hopefully we’ll get some pictures taken. I was hoping for the Seven Dwarfs last year but the line went on and on and we almost had our picture taken in front of Cindy’s coach but Hallo Wishes was about to start and we wanted to get a spot. So maybe this year. If we are hungry will we just grab something at Cosmic Ray’s or Columbia Harbour House. I’ll be shopping mainly for my MNSSHP pin and for me not much else. Heather on the other hand.
Yeah….MNSSHP tickets have arrived

　
Day Four…October 12th…
A full day at Epcot is planned for today. Now you’re probably wondering where does Animal Kingdom fit into this? Well, it doesn’t. Not this time anyway. I’ve learned over the years that park hoping wastes a lot of time and unless you are going to be at the World for longer it’s better to visit one park at a time for the whole day. Just my opinion. So this time AK will have to sit out.
I know we’ll be getting in really late from MK the night before so we have no plans for early morning. My biggest chore will be packing to get ready for our town car pick up at 10 am the following morning. I usually accomplish this by putting things away that we’re not using as I go along but I’ll be up earlier than the rest, getting ready for the next part of our adventure.

We’ll go to Epcot and grab a Fast Pass for Soarin’ before getting in line to ride. If I’m to understand there is a good chance that Fast Track may still be down during our visit so this leaves Mission Space, Spaceship Earth and whatever we may have time for before World Showcase opens and we head to the Food and Wine Festival. We just plan on going to the ones we missed last time (due to our ressie’s at LeCellier which happened to be the worst dining experience of our trip) and repeat a few favorites before our late lunch at the Biergarten…. Another new experience. We’ll visit the countries and this time make it to Werther’sKaramell-Küche. How we missed this one last trip I’ll never know. I also just learned that Smash Mouth will be playing on this day so hoping to catch a few tunes from them.

We’ll skip Illuminations due to a late ressie at the Flying Fish. We have yet to visit the Boardwalk and really want to this time. Dining here we will also celebrate Heather’s 22nd with a mini cake just for her. Having bad luck with the Grand Floridian Bakery 3 years in a row, I’m steering clear of them. Let’s hope the Boardwalk Bakery comes through for us.

Then I have to figure how to get back to our resort. I’m thinking bus from Boardwalk to TTC and then bus back to POFQ. Either that or another cab ride. Which would you do?

Just for fun and since I am such a planner, I love to make virtual designs. In the past I have made virtual t-shirts and even a virtual cruise cabin door. I’m working on the cabin door but that will be revealed in my cruise plans. Virtual t-shirts? Well it looks like there will be only one design this year for our embarkation day photo, (again cruise planning) unless Dan and Heather decide they want something new and I haven’t a clue so far. But what I have put together are my virtual cakes. Well two are designed and the other I just want and this is where Chef Brain at the Contemporary comes in. So tell me what you think? I believe the bakeries can handle these. Well here’s hoping anyway.
Our anniversary cake at Yachtman’s - or as close as they can get…

this is originally from the Grand Floridian and you all know how I feel about them these days.
Our Halloween cake at Crystal Palace - whichever one works

Heathers 22nd birthday cake at the Flying Fish

I got the idea from this cute cake right here on the cake boards.

So that's it for now. I promise not to take so long beteen posts next time. Oh and by the way...cruise is paid in full.
　
Coming up…Planning for a seven day cruise on the Fantasy and a trip down memory lane.

[cubfancolleen]

First, sorry to hear about your dad. I know how stressful it is dealing with a parent's illness.

Your plans sound great! And I love the virtual cakes! (they also have no calories, right?!) Especially the Halloween one with the witch hat on top! Hope they all work out.

Good luck with WW!

[Colexis Mom]

Pixies for your Dad!

Great plans for your trip so far!

[MayraLR]

Love the cakes!