WDW Lines Review

I wanted to write a little post explaining how Lines work. WDW Lines is the iphone app that allowed up to stay one step ahead of the crowds while we were in Orlando.

Please forgive the excessive use of iphone screenshots. I just learned how to do it and the novelty hasn't worn off yet.

Here is my iphone home screen,

There is the App!

Tapping the App will open this homescreen

You can see on the homescreen that the current time for Orlando is on top. Each WDW Park is listed with it's operating hours below the park name. To the right is current status of the park, open or closed.

The second panel we used a lot to plan which park we went to on which day. The application is designed by the authors of  The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World who have 10 years of research and statistical analysis of the parks under their belt. They have estimated (fairly accurately I might add) the crowd levels for each park, each day, all year. This day the estimated crowd levels are 6/10, and statistics show that the best park to tour is Epcot, and the worst parks to tour are The Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

Have I blown your mind yet? Wait there's more!!

Above is what happens when I tap on Epcot Park. There is a list of all the attractions in Epcot with the wait times for each one. If the attraction offers FastPass, the return time is listed. For each show, the next occuring showtime is listed with the number of shows left that day. The wait times in blue are again estimates taken from the authors, which change throughout the day as the crowd levels change. Even though these are only predicitions they were pretty spot on during our touring.  As you can see on the first screenshot the wait time for Circle of life is 6 min the firework show illumiNations is at 9:00.

The second screenshot is scrolled down to the S's. Say I am standing in the park right in front of Soarin' and the wait time posted in 45min. Now the app says 48min, I know that's only slightly off but I can update that to a more accurate wait time.

Here you can see when I tap of the name of the ride I can adjust the wait time to the actual posted time of 45min. I know AMAZING!!!

I tell everyone that I am not type-A about anything in my life, except Disney World. I tell you when I found out just how awesome this app was, my heart sang. If you are planning on touring disney and have an iphone, you would be crazy not to download this.

There is a subscription fee of $10 which is waved if you have purchased the book The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011  but even if you don't buy the book in my opinion the $10 is worth it (you'll pay just as much for a churro and a can of coke at the Magic Kindom)

 I hope you like my mini-app review. Sorry again about all the screen shots!

*I am getting no reimbursement whatsoever for this fantastic review. I just wanted to share the love!*

Day Six: DHS Second Attempt

Today we got up early in our attempt to get to the parks on time and take full advantage of the fact that we didn’t have to deal with the marathon crowds. We immediately went through the turnstiles and headed for Pixar Place to get on Toy Story Midway Mania. We made sure to get on this ride first because the day before we saw on our phone that the wait at 10am (1 hour after park opening) was over an hour. YIKES!.


After riding we all enjoyed it so much we immediately got FASTPASSES to ride it again later. It was SO MUCH FUN! The afternoon was a little rainy (thanks tiny-tiny totes umbrella for keeping me dry!) but we got around to see all that we wanted to see by around 3pm.

Since it was out last night in Disney Kyle’s parents wanted to go out with a bang and have dinner at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The restaurant in question, Citricos was probably the best food I have eaten since my honeymoon. I had duck ravioli to start, and braised grouper fish with shrimp and scallops for dinner. Oh man, it was heavenly. If your pockets are deep and you want to eat like a King at Disney, go to this place PLEASE!

While we were eating dessert (lemon cheesecake with fresh pressed organic coffee) we could see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from outside the windows at the far end of the dining room. Talk about Disney Magic. I had such a good time with my in-laws and I hope that we can go on vacation again soon with them!

I can’t believe the week is over!

Favorite Ride: Toy Story Midway mania. Any arcade style game where I can beat my husband and my brother-in-law is OK in my book, sorry Joel!

Tomorrow: flying home :-(

Day Five: DHS - um, just kidding!

The full marathon was today, all 26.2 miles made for a lot of crowding at the parks. The night before we decided to sleep in for an hour and try to make it to the parks around 10:00 instead of getting there for opening like we had done earlier. What a mistake that was!!



The marathon had all of the major traffic diverted and it took us almost an hour from the time we left to the time we finally arrived at DHS. When we actually got in line to get into the park the waits for all the major attractions were almost an hour? How
Do I know this? Well before we left for Disney I downloaded an app called WDW lines which gives us real time updates on all the wait times for all the rides in each park. Let me tell you it came in handy more than once.

So anyway we are waiting in line ready to suffer through agonizing long lines when my brilliant sister-in-law pipes up and says, "you know, we could always do this tomorrow?" We all immediately agreed and back on the bus we went We had a fantastic lunch at a sandwich place in downtown Disney and then spent most of the afternoon shopping, and most importantly, relaxing!

Day Four: Animal Kingdom

Fatigue is really starting to set in now. People never realize how much energy is expended during a Disney vacation. Miles of walking combined with several early mornings usually results in total exhaustion. Today we were planning on heading down to the animal kingdom but our transit there was a little delayed due to the Disney Marathon happening this weekend. The half marathon, 13.1 miles on Saturday and the full 26.2 on Sunday. The route for the runners cut through most of the main roads on the Disney property, which resulted in a major delay getting to the park.

Fortunately for us once we got there we pretty much walked on everything. The park was pretty empty so that made for quite the enjoyable day. They have a new roller coaster called Expedition Everest. One word there. WOW! The tracks change twice so you go forwards/then backwards then forwards again. I can safely say that that is my most favorite ride there so far

Favorite Ride: Expedition Everest: hands down
Tomorrow: Disney's Hollywood Studios

Day Three: Universal Studios Islands of Adventure

Today we decided to break from Disney and head over to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Ever since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened last year I have been anxious to see it with my own eyes. We again set off early and were at the park shortly after opening. We immediately went over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to avoid lines. Apparently everyone in the park had the same idea and when we got back there we were met with HUGE amounts of crowds. The main Harry Potter ride in that area has it's queue throughout Hogwarts castle, which was pretty amazing. The replica of the castle, although built to scale, is very realistic and true to what you see in the movies. I was told prior to coming here that the set design team from the movies and even J.K. Rowling herself were instrumental in the design of the park. It certainly shows when you are there.



The back view of Hogwarts Castle





Although the Harry Potter area is magical and a real treat of an experience, Universal did make some pretty large mistakes during construction. For one, there are certain rides that require that you stow your purses and backpacks In lockers when you enter the attraction, then pick them up when you exit. Doing this requires that people entering and exiting the ride are all milling around in a small (emphasis on SMALL) common area, making you literally fighting for two feet of space. I felt like I was at a huge rock concert. Not exactly low stress, but more on that later.

The day was another long one, but incredibly fun. I got to taste butterbeer which is kind of like a cream soda concoction with a caramel topping.
Cheers!


The village of Hogsmede

There are several other lands in Universal Islands of Adventure including a Dr. Suss land and a Superhero land. The rides were really cool and the atmosphere fun and enjoyable but the parked lacked the special charm and whimsy that is always present at Disney, and that I have come to expect from other parks, but never get. That's why it's called Disney Magic I guess!

Favorite Ride: The Incredible Hulk, classic coaster, scream you head off. Fabulous!

Tomorrow: Animal Kingdom

Day Two: Epcot

Today we went to EPCOT and I think that my in-laws enjoyed that park best so far (I know we've only been to two but still). We started out the morning very much like the day before, small breakfast in the room, hop on the bus to the TTC, monorail to EPCOT. We spent most of the morning riding the rides around FutureWorld including Soarin', Test Track and Mission Space. Mission Space was Kyle's favorite. The ride is a simulated journey to mars complete with blastoff, hypersleep and a fast paced maneuvering out of a meteor field. The ride is suprisingly realistic, using a large centrifuge to simulate the force felt during blastoff. Each "cockpit" holds four people and everyone is given specific tasks during the ride. Buttons on the console in front of you correspond to different jobs and when prompted you push the buttons to make different things happen. I nearly forgot to deploy our shields when we were in the metior field, thanks Kyle!



After that we went over to World Showcase to walk around and eat lunch. We went to eat in Germany at the biergarden and had DELICIOUS German food. We broke up the day after the meal by heading back to the hotel for a nap. After a few hours of resting up we went back to EPCOT for the fireworks show. All in all another fantastic day at the park


My brother-in-law in front of Spaceship Earth



Favorite Ride: Mission Space. Incredibly real, when the shields are deployed on time!

Tomorrow: Universal Studios Islands of Adventure

Day One: Magic Kingdom

Today we woke up bright and early to make it to the park when they opened at 9am. We had a light breakfast in the room and were able to hop on the bus at 8 to go to the transportation and ticket center. The TTC is kind of like grand central for Disney and from there you can catch trams, ferries, buses and of course the Disney Monorail. We took the monorail to the magic kingdom and was there for the opening dance number when they opened the park.



We went right over to Tomorrowland and got on Space Mountain, then we got right on the next ride, and the next one. The crowds were not bad at all. We spent all day leisurely touring the park, riding rides and having a great time.

Favorite ride of the day: Space Mountain. Classic Disney. An oldie but definitely a goodie

Tomorrow: Epcot.

To Florida We Go!

We arrived in Orlando around 4:30 yesterday afternoon. We had a fairly uneventful flight which was broken up quite nicely with a short 45 min layover in St. Louis. When your flying from one end of the country to the other it's always good to have a little break worked in. We got a driver to come pick us up at the airport and take us to the hotel. I was very entertained by the fact that the driver was waiting for us at the baggage claim with the little sign with our last name on it.

We got to the hotel about 30 minutes after we left the airport and met up with Kyles family. His mom, dad, sister and brother were all able to come which is so great. My brother-in-law graduated last year from NYU acting school and spent the last six months traveling with a seasonal theater company. My sister-in-law is currently in her sophomore year of college studying English.

We dropped our bags and immediately went to downtown Disney for dinner. We had a great meal at a Irish Pub there then spend a few hours browsing in the shops. We spend the most time at the LEGO store! No, no my husband doesn't have a slight addiction to LEGO. No way...



My lovely in-laws + husband (I'm behind the camera)

Great start to an awesome week!!!

Wonderful Week

I brought my family to the airport yesterday and dropped them off. It was so hard to say goodbye to them (I did get teary when I hugged my mom and she totally lost it haha) I couldn't have asked for a better week. What a great way to stagger up the time of Kyle's deployment with a nice visit from my family (combined with a week off of work!)

They made it back to Little Rhody safe and sound (after a 2 hour delay ouch!) and my father-in-law picked them up and gave them a lift home. My mom still hasn't fully recovered from her sinus infection but being home will give her some time to recover fully.

So it's back home with them and back to work for me. I had today to do laundry and clean up the apartment and just relax. Days that are hard to come by especially now that my job is changing. I'm back to the unit tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will only be on the floor for two more pay periods (about a month) then I will be out and down in the ED. I still need to interview with the manager down there. I am hoping there will be an e-mail from her when I go into work tomorrow.

Disneyland!

Today I took my family to Disneyland/California Adventure in Anaheim CA. We left at 6am in the morning to get there when the park opened, but it was so worth it. We hit every big ride in both parks, needless to say were were totally beat after that. You can peek at my last trip to Disneyland here

Some fun pictures from the day


Disneyland Railroad

I wish I got an envelope in the mail that had mickey balloons exploding out of it!


Yup...that's my dad. Sums him up in a nutshell, but I love him!
(photo is way overexposed..but hey I'm still new at this!)

My wonderful family (missing...my hubby!)


It was an amazing day filled with fun, laughter, screaming (from the roller coasters) and new memories. I wish this week would never end!!!!

In other news I checked today and I have 3 subscribers! YAY! thank you to those 3 whoever you are. I guess I should have mentioned that I can't see any personal information about you (hence I don't even know who those 3 are). FeedBurner is just a tool that I can use to make my blog better, not spy on you guys!

Vacation Week

My parents & brother made it safely through the 6 hour flight into San Diego and I picked them up from the airport around noon on Saturday. It was nice to show them my place and where I live. They were (and continue to be) very impressed with the scenery and how different the west cost is from the east. My brother is staying with me in my apartment and my parents are renting a hotel down the road. My mom was fighting a head cold but after a good night sleep this morning she felt a lot better. We spend this morning wandering around the San Diego Zoo. We had a really fun time exploring the Zoo while my family ooohh'd and ahhh'd. (Too bad I forgot to but the memory card back in my camera....gosh darn it.) oh well I will have it for the beach tomorrow and for Disney on Thursday. In the mean time I will leave some recipes for your enjoyment.

YAY for vacation and time with family!!!!!

Cape Cod Love and Jimmy's Saloon!

Today drove back to Rhode Island to meet my in-laws for dinner before meeting all of my old girlfriends from Nursing School for drinks. On my way back home I stopped at Haley's and Chris' place. the Haley of Cape Cod Love haha! I couldn't stay long but it was nice to visit for a little while.

That night my in-laws took me out to coddington brewery for dinner, after that I met with a bunch of my old friends at Jimmy's Saloon on memorial blvd in Newport for Drinks!!

Some "shots" from the night haha!

Me, Taryn, Kate

Mary-Beth, Kate, Rob & Lisa

Shots!

The Whole Group!!!

Cape Cod Day 1

Today I woke up early and we were on the Road to the Outer Cape by early lunch. My Mom and Dad drove together in my mothers car and my brother and I drove up in my brothers/my old car. We are big believers in Toyota cars and everyone in my family owns one (except my husband, but we’ll convert him haha). When I was in college my parents bought a 1997 Toyota Corolla and I drove it all through college, it was my first car. It always got me from here to there with no problems. Now it has about 140,000 miles on it and my brother is having a good time improving it and tinkering with it. Now it has a huge subwoofer in the trunk and a new sound deck in the dashboard.

Anyway we made it up to Cape Cod around 2:00 and met up with my Grandparents and my Aunt and Uncle. We always stay at the Even'tide Motel which is a motel with cottages in Wellfleet, MA. My grandparents and my Aunt and Uncle had cottages and my parents and I stayed in a suite. It was nice and comfy. We went to Arnold's Clam Shack for dinner. It is a Cape Cod staple for FRESH fried seafood....delicious!

I took some photos of the greenery I saw at the motel, I miss maple leaves!

Scraggly Tree

Maple Leaves!

The lobby of the motel from my Grandparents Cottage

Tuesday

Today I woke up late and met Laura for an afternoon of shopping and pedicures. It was a nice afternoon to just hang and get adjusted to East Coast time. That night my in-laws came over and we had wonderful time talking and sharing my mom’s chicken potpie. My sister in law just graduated from high school so I enjoyed hearing about the commencement and her college plans. She is going to start at Gettysburg College in the fall as an English major. After they went home I went out to O’Brien’s pup and had a nice time catching up with all of my old college friends.


Cape Cod tomorrow

Flight Home

I clocked out of work at 7:45 Monday morning and my vacation officially begun!

I drove my car over to my friend Jared’s house to leave it there for the week while I was gone. I changed quick at his house so I wouldn’t have to fly in my scrubs. He dropped me off at the airport and I made it through security fairly quickly. My flight was scheduled to leave at 11:20 so I had about an hour and a half to wait before getting on the plane. Unfortunately I was going on 15 hours overnight of no sleep and I was so wired and awake that I couldn’t even close my eyes!

I crashed and burned right after the plane took off and didn’t wake up until we landed in Chicago. I had a long enough layover to get some food then I was back on the plane to Providence. I couldn’t sleep on the second flight and I just ended up reading until I landed around 10pm east coast time. My mom and dad were waiting at the baggage claim, yay! After hugs and kisses and a 20 minute car ride I collapsed into my old bed and slept for 12 hours straight.

Feels good to be home…..