Details, Details, Oh how I LOVE the Details! UPDATE 5/30

[ksl5f123]

I have been wanting to start a pre-trip report for months and have finally decided to just give it a go. By profession, I am a scientist which means I am VERY detail oriented. Be prepared to hear about absolutely every detail of my trip planning. :) So, here is the cast.

Me, age 35 - I am THRILLED to be planning this trip. It will be my 11th trip to WDW. Our last trip was December 2008. This is when I realized that I wanted to plan my dream trip - more days, time to relax and enjoy the resort, plans, plans and more plans! I am also very frugal, so I spend lots of time trying to have both an over-the-top Disney experience and a reduced price tag. I love the atmosphere of Disney and watching my kid’s reactions to things. In general, if a ride goes faster than I can walk, I skip it. No thrill rides for me!

DH, age 37 - DH grew up in South Florida and his family went to Disney at least once every year. He can tour the parks without ever looking at a map! (I am really jealous of that skill!) He thinks our kids should get to go to Disney often like he did. DH will ride anything (except the Tea Cups). He particularly enjoys Space Mountain.

DD, age 6 - DD6 is a complicated girl. She loves Sleeping Beauty and all things pink, but she hasn’t ever played with a doll. She would much prefer to run, jump, and climb. She is a never-ending ball of energy. This will be her 5th trip to WDW. She is now 49 inches tall and is looking forward to trying Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soarin’, and Mission: Space. This may be the last trip where she is interested in BBB or dressing up like a princess. :sad1:

DD, age 4 - DD4 is the consummate princess. She loves all things Snow White or purple. She loves dresses and has a large collection of “babies”. She is 41” tall, but completely uninterested in thrill rides. She is focused on getting her “princess hair” at BBB and riding IASW. This will be her 4th trip to WDW.

DS, age 1 - DS1 is a fun little guy. He will be 23 months by the time of our trip. He loves all balls and finds them everywhere. He gets excited when he sees pictures of Mickey. This will be his 2nd trip to WDW.

MIL,age 63 - MIL enjoys watching the grandkids at Disney. She has planned our last 6 trips so it may be a little different for her to let me plan this one. Her style is very laid back and includes lots of nice restaurants. My style is very planned and includes lots of character dining! It ought to be interesting!

FIL, age 64 - FIL is lots of fun! He is great at entertaining the kids. However, he had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery in August so I am a little nervous about his ability to tour in the parks in the June heat.

DN1, age 12 - DN1 is the oldest son of my DH’s brother. SIL finds the Disney magic annoying and doesn’t care for the parks. However, her sons feel left out by our many trips. So, MIL asked if the nephews could come along. DN1 is a good kid. He likes to read and play board games. He hasn’t been to WDW in at least 6 years, so a lot will be new to him.

DN2, age 10 - DN2 is the younger son of DH’s brother. He is very energetic and loves to be silly. He is really good at entertaining his younger cousins.

Up next, when will we go?

[ksl5f123]

When I started planning this trip back in October, the first two things I needed were travel dates and a resort reservation. DH and I are both college professors so we can’t travel during the semester. Our spring break is one week before DD6’s spring break so that didn’t work. We decided to go right after she got out of school. Her last day is June 1.

But then we learned that DD4 would have her very first dance recital on either June 4 or June 5. We decided we would leave the next day June 6, 2010! With 3 kids, flying is getting pretty expensive (here comes my frugal nature). The drive is 975 miles from our door to WDW. We go on big driving vacations every summer and know that we can plan to go about 500 miles before our kids start to melt down. A 500 mile drive will take us about 10 hours given meals, potty stops, gas stations, etc. So, we will need 2 days of driving to get to Orlando and we will arrive late on June 7, 2010!

Now that we know when we are arriving, we need to know how long to stay. All of our trips with our kids have been 4 days or less. I always leave feeling like I rushed everywhere and saw very little. I really wanted a longer vacation to get to see more, but still have time to take breaks and relax at the resort.

We started by looking at a 8 day trip. Given that we would be arriving really late on day 1, that really gave us 7 days of touring. We knew we wanted 2 days at MK and 2 days at Epcot and probably 1 day at AK and DHS. We also thought we would really like to try a waterpark. This fills up all 7 days quickly and I was beginning to see my relaxing vacation slip away. We quickly moved on to the 9 day plan. This way we could arrange our days as arrive, park, park, rest, park, park, rest, park, park. That felt great! The only problem was it didn’t include the waterpark. We looked at a 10 day plan but that went over our budget. The waterpark will just have to go on one of the “rest” days.

OK, we have our dates - June 7-15, 2010!!! Next, where will we stay?

[magicallyDisney001]

Just coming in to the PTR! How exciting! And don't worry about giving us too many details; you're on the DISboards for a DISNEY vacation! :thumbsup2 Looking forward to hearing more! popcorn::

[ksl5f123]

Wow! I have a reader. Oh, so very exciting!! :banana:

[ksl5f123]

We decided that our total budget for this trip was $4000. I really dream about deluxe resorts. We got to stay at AKL in 2006 and I LOVED it. In a similar vein, I would also love to stay at WL. We started there, but quickly realized we just couldn’t afford it. My frugal nature was more than willing to stay at Pop, but DH really prefers the moderate resorts. Which one to choose?

The only moderate we have stayed at before is POR on our last trip in Dec 2008. I liked it. The food court was really nice. We didn’t use the pool on our last trip there it was dreary, rainy, and cool every day. The look of the pool didn’t really impress me, but that may have been because of the dreary rain.

I thought the pictures of CSR looked wonderful. The restaurants seem interesting and the pool looks gorgeous! So, we decided that was it - CSR for June 7-15, 2010. I spent a little time despairing about whether we should book immediately or try to wait for a discount. During this time, I found the Disboards and learned that I could apply a discount later even if I had already booked. So, I told DH to call his folks and get their approval to book CSR.

However, while I was dithering and DH was distracted, all of the standard rooms at CSR sold out! I was shocked - and a little devastated! Oh well, time to regroup. I don’t really care for the theme at CBR and we wanted to stay moderate, so… We are going back to POR! Although it wasn’t my first choice I feel really good about this decision.

Up next, what to do about dining?

[ksl5f123]

We usually pay OOP for dining. We love table service meals. As I mentioned in our intro, MIL usually plans our trips and she likes fine dining and dislikes counter service. W are used to having 2 TS meals per day when we go to WDW, sometimes with one of them signature dining. We started out wanting the deluxe dining plan. However, even though we usually go to 2 TS restaurants, we don’t usually get all of that food at every meal. I had visions of tables collapsing under the weight of all of the food ordered by 8 people on the DxDDP!

How about the regular dining plan? It looked pretty good to us, but as always, my frugal side had to “prove it”. Out came the spread sheet.

We have tried lots of the nice restaurants at WDW and while they are wonderful, I find them a little stressful because I am constantly worried that my kids will make a loud noise, spill something, break something, etc. Since this is supposed to be my relaxing vacation I decided that we would focus our dining on characters.

We have done CRT (breakfast and lunch), Akershus (3 times!!!), Crystal Palace, and 1900 Park Fare before. We decided that we wanted to return to all of these. We also want to try Chef Mickey (breakfast) and Tusker House. That is already 7 TS credits just for character meals! We also wanted to return to Coral Reef. DH’s only request was that we go to Tutto Italia. We also wanted to try the Fantasmic dining package and thought Mama Melrose would work for us. That puts us at 10 TS credits.

Into the spread sheet go the prices for all of the buffets and for what I think each person will eat at Tutto and Coral Reef. Now I scour the allears.net menus looking for the “best” counter service places.

Two trips ago, we were eating in the Polynesian (maybe at Kona??) on our last night when suddenly DD6 (then 4) burst into tears. After eating them at every meal, she just couldn’t face another chicken finger. Finding other dining choices for her became my particular obsession. She would only eat chicken fingers if she wanted them, not because they were the only thing on the kid’s menu!!!

After much research, the CS places we will visit include Flame Tree BBQ, Sunshine Seasons, WPE, Riverside Mill (a few times), CHH, Tangerine Café, and Starring Rolls. Now, I chose meals for everyone at all of these places and added them to my spreadsheet. Since we are a party of 9, I add in the 18% gratuity and 6.5% tax. After all of this, it looks like the dining plan will save us about $170 even considering our OOP meals, but without adding snacks!

We are finally ready to book!! We call our AAA agent and get POR for June 7-15 with MYW tickets with hoppers and WP&M and our very first time on the DDP! Our price = $3885 for our family of 5!!! Which is within our budget! We request to stay in the mansions at POR with connected rooms.

Up next, waiting on the park hours and planning our itinerary.

[magicallyDisney001]

Two trips ago, we were eating in the Polynesian (maybe at Kona??) on our last night when suddenly DD6 (then 4) burst into tears. After eating them at every meal, she just couldn’t face another chicken finger.

It seems like the only places you can get something other than chicken fingers and the like for kids are at fancier, more expensive restaurants.

Anyway, glad to see that the dining and hotel is all planned out! :thumbsup2

[ksl5f123]

It seems like the only places you can get something other than chicken fingers and the like for kids are at fancier, more expensive restaurants.


So true, so true!! That is one of the reasons we go to buffets. Then the kids can have lots of choices! I am also not above eating a chicken finger, so if we have to trade entrees at a counter service place, so be it.

[ksl5f123]

Our 180 day dining window opened on December 9, 2009. I wanted to plan out which parks we would go to each day before then so we could put our ADRs in the parks we would be touring. Luckily, the June park hours were released by Dec. 2 so I had a full week to figure it out.. Here is the plan I came up with including the ADRs and times that I really wanted:

Day 1: arrival, ADR at Tutto Italia at 7:00
Day 2: MK, BBB at 8 AM, CRT at 10:30
Day 3: Epcot, Coral Reef at 6 PM
Day 4: Chef Mickey at 7:30 AM - BB/DTD
Day 5: DHS, Mama Melrose F! Dining Package
Day 6: AK, Tusker House at 9:30, 1900 Park Fare at 7 PM
Day 7: day off
Day 8: Epcot, Akershus at 6 PM
Day 9: MK, Crystal Palace at 11:30 AM

We liked this plan because we got to start and end at MK. It also allowed us to take advantage of AM EMH at DHS, AK, and on our 2nd day at MK.

As the window approached, I got really nervous. I spent some time practicing the online reservation system. That was good because I couldn’t figure out what our reservation number was and I had to spend some time on the phone with my TA getting it all straightened out. I would have been pretty upset if that had happened on our booking morning! When our day arrived, I was up at 6 AM ready to go!

Up next, will we get the places we want?

[ksl5f123]

I started by booking CRT first right at 6 AM. Then did the rest of my dining ADRs using the online system Finally, I called and booked the F! dining package and the BBB. To my amazement, I was done in less than an hour. Here is how I did (the original plan is regular type and the booked times are bold):

Day 1: arrival, ADR at Tutto Italia at 7:00 - ADR at 7:40 PM
Day 2: MK, BBB at 8 AM, CRT at 10:30 - BBB at 8 AM, ADR for CRT at 10:15
Day 3: Epcot, Coral Reef at 6 PM - ADR for 5:50 PM
Day 4: Chef Mickey at 7:30 AM - BB/DTD - ADR for 7:35 AM
Day 5: DHS, Mama Melrose F! Dining Package - ADR at 4 PM
Day 6: AK, Tusker House at 9:30, 1900 Park Fare at 7 PM - ADRs for 10 AM and 7:25 PM
Day 7: day off
Day 8: Epcot, Akershus at 6 PM - ADR for 6:30 PM
Day 9: MK, Crystal Palace at 11:30 AM - ADR for 11:45 AM

I was surprised that Tutto was the “hardest” to get. We took a time 40 minutes later than we were hoping for. Everything else was within 15 minutes of the time we hoped for. I was thrilled with how easy it was to book dining online!

All of the reservations are done. What happens next? Shopping, of course!

[Arielssister]

I'm enjoying your PTR. I love details, too. :)

[ksl5f123]

I'm enjoying your PTR. I love details, too.

:welcome: Arielssister!!! So happy to have you reading along!!

[ksl5f123]

I interrupt the regularly scheduled PTR update to discuss our WDW "practice".

Yesterday, DD6 had a chess tourney to attend (she placed 2nd!!! :woohoo:), so while she and DH were there, I decided to take DD4 and DS1 to the zoo. It was $1 admission/free parking day - it usually costs $10/adult and $8/child age 1 & up with $2 for parking. For our family of 5, that is $46 just for admission to the zoo!!!

Anyway, we arrived at 8:50 for the 9 AM opening. Because it was $1 admission day, there was a line down the street to get in. DS1 rode in the stroller, while DD4 walked the whole time. Our zoo is VERY 3-dimensional and I was thrilled that DD4 never complained once about the walking (I am still bringing a stroller for her to WDW, just in case).

At about 10:30, DD4 needed a potty stop. This was our only problem of the day as she didn't like the pottys. We need to work on this. Although it was early, after our stop, we were ready for lunch!! DD4 and DS1 did great sharing food.

We walked all over the zoo, probably about 1.5 miles total. We stayed from 9 AM to 1 PM. We got back to the car then headed over to see DD6 get her medal at the tourney, and both kids fell asleep during the 10 mile drive - and they slept for 2 hours!!! Lesson - if we plan to do RD at WDW, we WILL need to leave by 1 PM for nap time or we WILL have very cranky kids!

OK, next time will be about the shopping!

[My_Pal_Pluto]

It'll be great connecting on your thread ... I'm smiling to know others hold the same obsessive Disney nature I do!! I'm enjoying reading about your planning and will look forward to staying caught up!!:thumbsup2

[ksl5f123]

It'll be great connecting on your thread ... I'm smiling to know others hold the same obsessive Disney nature I do!! I'm enjoying reading about your planning and will look forward to staying caught up!!

:wave2: Thanks for hopping over! It will be fun to watch each other plan!

[ksl5f123]

It was now early December which means that it is time to finish up the Christmas shopping. I didn’t really get anything for the trip for Christmas, but we did get lots of Disney stuff.

The “big” gift for my girls this year was the Cinderella Castle play set. I felt really lucky to get this. We had originally wanted a castle play set from Target, but it was sold out when I arrived. I got a rain check, but was then reading some online reviews of it and they were terrible. Then I was shopping the Disney website looking for something to replace it. I searched play sets pretty much every day and one day the castle set came up - it had been “temporarily out of stock” for weeks. I quickly bought one and found the next day they were “temporarily out of stock” again! I was thrilled that I got one on one day they had them.

The girls also got princess lamps from Kohls and a princess storytelling alarm clock from Toys R Us.

When Christmas was over, the big shopping began! Now came the Disneystore.com twice a year sale!!! I really enjoyed this. My girls got matching T-shirts for each day, DS got a t-shirt or outfit for each day, the nephews got matching t-shirts (only one each), DH and FIL got matching t-shirts (one each), and MIL and I got matching t-shirts (2 each - plus I got 3 more) - Yep, you got it! I bought 32 t-shirts!! Total spent = $165!

I have also been working on welcome baskets for my kids. We got the 18” plush Minnie (for DD6), Daisy (for DD4), and Mickey (for DS1) for their baskets. I also got the 12” plush Mickey, 2 Minnies, and Tigger to hold invitations for the kids to our ADRs. For 7 plush characters, total spent = $35!

Up next, saving more money!

[ksl5f123]

By mid-December, I was pretty much addicted to the Dis boards. I read every new post pretty much every day. I can’t tell you how excited I was to learn about pin codes. I followed all of the instructions religiously - ordered park maps, ordered the DVD, saved vacations, planned itineraries, answered surveys, etc. It took about 3 weeks, but suddenly, there it was!!! I got my very own pin code!!! It was the 30/35/40 pin good through June 12. I immediately called my travel agent. She had never heard of a pin code before (she also didn’t know that you should book ADRs before you get there!!!), but she called Disney anyway and immediately applied the pin to our reservation.

The new cost for our trip - $3445!!! We saved about $400 over our standard AAA discount!

Up next, joining TGM and replanning everything!

[ksl5f123]

It was now mid January and I was spending a couple hours a day reading on the Disboards. Each day there was this picture of TGM staring at me. I decided to click over and surf around. It took me about a week of thinking about it to decide to join. The TGM philosophy is to PLAN a very RELAXED resort vacation (this sounded right up my alley!!) :laughing::laughing:

However, I was shocked to learn that TGM thought I should change all of my park days! :scared1: I debated following his advice for a while, but DH thought his reasoning sounded really good and encouraged me to make the changes. I was convinced pretty easily to change all of my days except our first full day where I had planned to take the girls to BBB and CRT. I had visions of my DD4 just jumping for joy getting her “princess hair” on our very first day. :yay: But then I realized we would be in BBB during EMH, while the park was filling up and lines were getting long. So, I re-did EVERYTHING!!

Here are the new park days and all the new ADRs:

Day 1: arrival, ADR at Tutto Italia - ADR moved to 5:20 for earlier bedtime
Day 2: AK, Tusker House at 10:15
Day 3: MK 8:05 BBB - 10:15 CRT - hop to Epcot to meet more princesses - Akershus at 5:10
Day 4: BB/DTD - 1900 Park Fare at 7:25 PM
Day 5: Epcot morning - hop to DHS, Mama Melrose F! Dining Package - ADR at 4 PM
Day 6: MK - CP at 4:25
Day 7: day off - added 7:40 ADR at bluezoo just for DH and me
Day 8: MK - hop to Epcot, Coral Reef at 6 PM
Day 9: Chef Mickey at 7:00 AM - DHS

I am still playing around with these a little. I don’t really like the time on Park Fare or Chef Mickey and am not sure about the hopping on days 3 and 8. DH really likes the idea of an all princess day, but I am concerned about walking WS in the afternoon in the June heat. I am considering replacing the Akershus with a 4:35 ADR at Park Fare and just staying at MK on day 3. Then adding the Akershus ADR to our Epcot morning on Day 5. Then we would have 2 full days at MK and probably wouldn’t need the hop on day 8.

I also don’t like the 7 AM at Chef Mickey because we will have to check out that day. This means we have to be up, packed, and checked out by 6:20 AM to make our ADR and rope drop at DHS. Sounds nasty! Right now we are just thinking about dropping CM altogether - there will be other trips.

Anybody have any great advice?

Up next, our GAD project!

[ksl5f123]

When the GAD promotion opened in January, I immediately started looking for opportunities for our family. There are no big cities for about 150 miles from us, so the opportunities were pretty sparse when I put in our zip code. The only project I found was an organization that wanted someone to develop, plan, and carry out a fundraiser for them. No offense to the organization, but that was WAY more work than I was looking for!

I then started putting in other zip codes I knew - my parents = nothing, DH’s parents = nothing, our grad school = winner!!! There was a Project Linus chapter in the town where DH and I went to grad school that required only one blanket per person, would accept DD6 as a volunteer, and would accept the blankets by mail.

I took the girls and went to the fabric store when fleece was on a half price sale. We got one that was navy blue with all different colored dots, solid hot pink that matched some of the dots, a Tiana fabric, and a solid purple that matched the Tiana fabric. Our organizers preferred that we not tie the fringe, so I just sewed the layers together and cut fringe to the sewing line. I will try to post pics if I can figure out how!
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/DSC_0080.jpg
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/DSC_0087.jpg


We were verified quickly and received our vouchers. They are printed and with my Disney boxes.

Up next, craft time!

[ksl5f123]

Thanks to the wonderful people on the DISigns boards, I am now addicted to making things for our trip. So far, I have been working on invitations, autograph books, and hair bows (got that one off of the family board).

For autograph books, I have printed some from the DISigns board onto card stock. I resized them to fit four to a page which makes each one about 4 by 5 inches. I found some great photo albums at Big Lots for two dollars each. DD6 will have a pink one with Aurora and DD4 will have a purple one with Snow White. I couldn’t find one quite so perfect for DS1, so he will just have a black one onto which I will glue a Mickey Mouse.

The invitations I am using came straight of the DISigns board with me just adding our names and ADR times.

For hairbows, I am making them to match each of my girl’s outfits.

For our Animal Kingdom day, they have grey Mickey Mouse shirts. I found ribbon on ebay that is Mickey heads with animal prints. I am combining that with a plain zebra print.

For the day we are having lunch at Crystal Palace, they have pink Winnie the Pooh shirts. I found ribbon with a magenta background with Pooh and Eeyore at Walmart. I will combine that with a solid pink ribbon.

For our day we are having breakfast at Chef Mickey, they have pink and white Minnie Mouse shirts. Again, I found some Minnie Mouse ribbon on eBay with all different pastel colored flowers. I will combine that with a solid pink ribbon also.

We also have some teal colored Tinkerbell shirts (green and teal Tinkerbell ribbon from Michaels), pink Aurora shirts (princess ribbon from Hobby Lobby), hot pink shirts with Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella (princess ribbon from Walmart), and purple Ariel shirts (I haven’t found any character ribbon, so probably just solids for this one).

Up next, Disney memories!

[dellasgirl]

z

[ksl5f123]

:wave: Dellasgirl!

I like the idea of a 'practice' run-what zoo did ya'll go to?


We went to the Little Rock zoo. It is the only one anywhere near us!

669 miles! Wow! That is one LOOOOONG day, but I could imagine it if I could travel sans little kiddos!

[ksl5f123]

I have seen a few other folks do this and it looks like immense fun! So, in this post, I will reminisce about my first trip to WDW. I was 3 years old and it was December 1977.

I grew up in western Ohio, so it is about a 20 hour drive to WDW. I have no memory of the trip (probably a good thing), but it must have been interesting. I am pretty sure that we went in my parents’ station wagon which was light blue on the outside, but BLACK VINYL on the inside. :scared1: Oh, and I am also pretty sure it did not have air conditioning. In the car would have been me, my mom and dad, my grandma and grandpa, and my 17 year old uncle! Can you even imagine? Six people in a car for a 20 hour drive. :drive: Of course, to my family this was nothing. We had driven with this same group of people, in the same car, to the Grand Canyon when I was 18 months old!

I have only 3 memories of this trip. The first is that it got cold - at least colder than we were expecting. Grandma went into a souvenir shop and bought us all sweatshirts. They were school bus yellow!!! I have to admit that Disney has really upped the ante on the clothing since the 70s! Those shirts were ugly!

My 2nd memory was sitting outside the Hall of Presidents with my uncle. My parents and grandparents were all inside, but had decided that I probably wouldn’t enjoy it and my uncle was stuck watching me. I thought that must have been the best attraction since we weren’t allowed in to see it! ;)

My last memory was getting tired! I am certain that we arrived in the parking lot before the park opened and stayed until the park closed. I remember standing in Fantasyland having a meltdown because I was tired. I was angry that I had to walk when grandpa got to ride (he was a paraplegic and in a wheelchair). :blush: I think they compromised and let me sit on his lap for a little while.

Up next, Epcot in 1983!

[liz827]

Loving your PTR! I got addicted to the DISboards too and am now planning tanktops for DD and in the process of looking for my own autograph book to decorate and design. :artist:

[dellasgirl]

z

[ksl5f123]

:wave: Liz! Glad to have you here! I think this is a great addiction to have. Good luck with your autograph book. Getting everything together is just SOOO much fun!

[ksl5f123]

My 2nd trip to WDW was in July 1983. I was 9 years old and we were on a family vacation. We had started by driving to Washington DC, then Philadelphia, then down to my uncle’s cabin in Virginia, then to another uncle’s house in Atlanta, and finally on to Orlando. I don’t remember if we went to Magic Kingdom at all on this trip. My only memories are of Epcot.

One thing that I remember was arriving at Epcot first thing in the morning and heading into an area behind Spaceship Earth where there were telephones you used to make your dining reservations for that night!! Wow, how that has changed!! I remember that we made our reservation for Biergarten. My parents are very mid-western eaters (when we went to Hawaii a few years ago they went to Denny’s for supper), and German food is a normal Tuesday night supper. They were uninterested in any of the other cuisines. :confused3

The next thing that I remember is that my FAVORITE ride was Journey into Imagination!!! I loved the song, the animatronics, and, of course Figment! I still have my plush Figment that I got on that trip. My DDs play with him now. I am glad that the song is back, but still miss the original ride. :sad2:

My mom’s favorite thing at Epcot that year was Kitchen Kaberet. She spent the next 10 years singing, “Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit” whenever we were trying to decide what to have for supper.

In general, I loved Epcot. As I mentioned in my intro, I don’t ride anything that goes faster than I can walk. That is true now and it was true when I was a kid too. I could ride everything in Epcot - Spaceship Earth, Living Seas, Imagination, Living with the Land, World of Motion, Horizons, EVERYTHING! :woohoo:

Next time, Epcot in 1990!

[ksl5f123]

On this trip, I am a sophomore in high school. I was traveling with a group of 55 other high school students from all over the state of Ohio. The program providing our trip was called Ohio’s Space Scientists of Tomorrow (OSST). We received an all-expenses paid trip from Ohio to Florida for 5 days to meet with NASA scientists, watch a launch, and tour the Space Center. One day, they took us to Epcot for a tour discussing all of the science and engineering issues in the park and then let us stay and enjoy the park for the rest of the day.

Once again, I remember riding ALMOST everything. Now, the Wonders of Life pavilion had opened and Body Wars was not my kind of thing - although my friends did try to get me on it!

What I remember most from this trip is that it was my first time seeing IllumiNations! :yay: I loved it. I remember we were sitting on the sidewalk near the Mexico pavilion. I thought the lasers, lights, and music were just wonderful.

This isn’t Disney related, but I have to share one more memory from this trip. I had never been on an airplane before this trip. I was pretty nervous on my first flight. The trip to Orlando was pretty uneventful, so I was doing OK getting ready for our trip home. The group I was traveling with had split into 3 for the trip home with some flying to Cleveland, some to Columbus, and some to Cincinnati. I was on the plane to Cincy. We had a direct flight and from on board the plane, everything seemed fine. However, from my parents point of view it was really scary. Remember that this is back in the early 90s, so they were at the gate waiting for me (remember when you could do that?) As our flight approached, they cleared the runway and lots of fire trucks and ambulances came racing out! It turns out that a lady in the front of the plane had gone into labor! I thought that only happened in the movies! :rotfl2:

Next up , high school band trip in 1991!

[ksl5f123]

Happy Easter, everyone! We just finished dinner. I ate too much and ended up skipping dessert. Hope everyone is having a great day! OK, back to the PTR!

In my high school, the marching band went on a big trip every four years. When it was our turn to go, we were thrilled to learn that our director had arranged for us to go to Orlando and play at Disneyworld. :banana:

Our performance was actually really short. I remember riding our tour bus (no plane this time - bus ride all the way from Ohio) into the Magic Kingdom. A cast member came on board and informed us that photography was strictly forbidden while we were behind the fence. The cast member stayed on board the bus watching us from the time we arrived at the fence until we left.

Once we unloaded from the bus and lined up, we marched out into Tomorrowland. We formed a horseshoe shape around our field conductor and played two or three songs then marched back to the bus. That was it!?! :confused3 I was a little disappointed, it just didn’t seem like much.

Oh well, we were at Disney! :cool1: We then had time to tour at Epcot and MGM. I had just been at Epcot the year before, so I remember acting as our group tour guide. My only other memory of Epcot that trip is an embarrassing one. I had paused to take a picture or look at a map or something and my friends kept walking. I was trying to catch back up to them and was jogging. A little boy (about 9 years old) was also jogging and we collided. He fell and his mom was outraged at me!! :guilty: So a note to all you teenagers out there, stay with your group and watch out for running little kids! :rolleyes:

This was my first trip to MGM. I remember riding The Great Movie Ride, the backlot tour, watching Indy, and walking around. I thought it was OK, but wasn’t really thrilled. :confused3

We also went to River Country, which was my first time at a water park. I really don’t remember much about River Country, but I do remember a bunch of really pale Ohioans with really bad sunburns spending 20 hours on a bus going home! :sick:

Now I had a Disney hiatus until I met my DH. Next trip, the year 2000!

[ksl5f123]

After nine years with no Disney trip :sad1:, I took my first trip with my DH. We had been married for only 3 months when we took a trip with his mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, 2 nephews (yes, the same ones we are taking on this trip they were only 2 yo and 5 months in 2000), aunt, cousin, cousin’s husband, and cousin’s 2 kids (ages 2 yo and 3 months)! (OK, just naming all the people made me tired!)

All of my previous trips had been the budget sort where we stayed in a Days Inn in Kissimmee and brought our own pb&j’s into the park. This trip was my first glance into “how the other half lives” ;) We stayed on property and ate at park restaurants.

We stayed in the Fort Wilderness cabins. We had 2 cabins for the 13 of us. I loved being able to get on the boat to the MK. It was such a peaceful way to start the morning. I love the anticipation of watching the castle get closer and closer until finally we are there! :cloud9:

This was my first time to have any (except for the 1 Biergarten experience) TS ADRs. We had at least one everyday. That said, the only ones I remember are Teppan Edo (is that what it was called in 2000 or was it still Teppanyaki?) and breakfast in the castle!!! :yay: I enjoyed both of these VERY much. I had been to Japan for work two years earlier, so I had expanded the boring palate that I inherited from my parents and was very comfortable with Japanese food.

Getting to have breakfast in the castle was simply amazing!! I remember there being lots of really good food. I was simply stunned by the detail and beauty in the dining area.

This trip was also my first visit to Animal Kingdom. I love zoos of all sorts, so the animal trails were my favorite. I really like the bats! :laughing: The ambiance in that area is incredible. I could spend hours just looking at all of the details.

Next time, a sad Sept. trip.

[ksl5f123]

In September 2001, I had a conference to attend in Orlando. We planned that when the conference was over, DH would fly down and we would spend a couple of days at Disney. However, the next to last day of the conference was Sept. 11. :sad1:

DH and I lived in central Virginia at the time and the plan was for DH to fly down on Sept 13 out of Dulles airport. :scared1: We fretted for two days trying to figure out what would happen. Would DH be able to fly out of D.C? Would I be able to get home? Would Disneyworld even be open? What about Tropical Storm Gabrielle which was headed straight toward us? As you have seen in the PTR, I am obsessive planner and this situation was making all plans useless! :sad2:

In the end, it turns out the DH’s flight was one of only 3 to leave Dulles that day. The flight was uneventful, but because there were so few flights going, when he arrived at MCO, there were NO taxis anywhere! :confused3 It took almost an hour to call a cab and get it to come to the airport to get him and take him to our (off-site) hotel.

Since WDW had re-opened on the 12th, we decided to go ahead with our plans and go to the parks. We went to Animal Kingdom on the 14th which is the day that the tropical storm hit. It rained ALL day! I remember ducking into a shop at one point and the cast members asking us to just stay put because we were about to observe the national moment of silence and they didn’t want people wandering around during that time. We were 2 of only 4 customers in the store. The combination of 9/11 and pouring rain meant that the parks were probably as empty as I will ever see them.

After a wet morning at Animal Kingdom, we hopped over to Epcot. Here is a memory that will shock you! We had just finished watching the movie in the Canada pavilion. We walked out and were discussing the current renovation in the back of the pavilion. We started up a conversation with a couple of cast members. They asked if we had dinner reservations and we said “no”. They asked if we wanted to come in Le Cellier and eat. We walked right in, sat down, and had dinner. When was the last time that happened?!! :cool1:

The next day, we went to MGM as DH had never been here before. Again, it rained all day. I only remember two things from this day. First we played Who Wants to be a Millionaire (which had just opened the day before). It was fun and I wish we could have played again. The second is that we ate at the ABC commissary - yuck! I know lots of people here have had bad experience with this place, and I can testify that it was just as bad in 2001.

Next up, a much happier trip - our first trip with a child!

[TinksThree]

The next thing that I remember is that my FAVORITE ride was Journey into Imagination!!! I loved the song, the animatronics, and, of course Figment! I still have my plush Figment that I got on that trip. My DDs play with him now. I am glad that the song is back, but still miss the original ride. :sad2:

My mom’s favorite thing at Epcot that year was Kitchen Kaberet. She spent the next 10 years singing, “Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit” whenever we were trying to decide what to have for supper.

In general, I loved Epcot. As I mentioned in my intro, I don’t ride anything that goes faster than I can walk. That is true now and it was true when I was a kid too. I could ride everything in Epcot - Spaceship Earth, Living Seas, Imagination, Living with the Land, World of Motion, Horizons, EVERYTHING! :woohoo:

Next time, Epcot in 1990!

Epcot is one of my favorite parks! This really brought back memories...especially Kitchen Kaberet. The 1st time I went was in 1984 and I miss some of the attractions that were in Future World back then! I also remember getting motion sick in the Canada movie!! :sick:



This trip was also my first visit to Animal Kingdom. I love zoos of all sorts, so the animal trails were my favorite. I really like the bats! :laughing: The ambiance in that area is incredible. I could spend hours just looking at all of the details.

Next time, a sad Sept. trip.

Animal Kingdom ties Epcot with my favorite park (I know...shame on me for putting MK 3rd) but I love AK and the details. Plus I love animals as well! I love to go to zoos just to pass time. Animals are amazing!!


What about Tropical Storm Gabrielle which was headed straight toward us? As you have seen in the PTR, I am obsessive planner and this situation was making all plans useless! :sad2:

I am OCD on planning also! Spreadsheets are my best friends when it comes to vacations! :lmao: One year when we went to Williamsburg, VA I had a binder with our boarding passes, reservation info, and various sightseeing info. My family made fun of me all the way there. Well our 1st day a Tropical Storm came through and totally messed our plans up. They were amazed when I pulled out the binder flipped some pages and came up with Plan B within minutes. They left me alone after that!! :rotfl2:

Hey! I am on board!! I can't wait to hear more! Looks like we will have some overlapping dates at POR! And I still think I could have written a lot of yours...sounds so much like myself!!

[elizablake]

:thumbsup2I love your pre-trip report so far.

Let me start by saying there is no such thing as too many details. :lmao:

It sounds like you have a fun group joining you. It's nice that you are taking your nephews. Your DDs sound so sweet. Mine is 5 and she is like your DD-4.

11th trip!! Wow, you are a pro! And you’ve been to tons of character meals. We are trying CRT, Tusker House, Crystal Palace and possibly Akershus this time. :banana:

I’m so impressed that your DD6 plays chess.:worship: What a smart girl! My DD plays a mean game of Candyland.

Are you going to bring a double stroller for your two youngest or rent one?

I love your plan for the 3rd day! But I know what you mean about the WS in the afternoon. At least 1900 Park Fare is still all about princesses. Is that Wed, June 9th ? If so, we will be at the MK the same morning. If we miss Fantasmic on Sun, we are planning on seeing it on Thursday like you. Isn’t it crazy how Fantasmic is only scheduled twice during the week? I’m assuming Disney will at least add another show to those nights but do you think they will add another day too? Last June Fantasmic was on Sun, Tues and Thurs with two shows a night. :confused3 If you don’t hop on day 8, will you be at EPCOT all day? I would probably drop CM. :sad1:You don’t want everyone to be rushed and tired on your last day. Could you get a CM ADR for your BB day?

I feel so far behind after reading about your crafts! :upsidedow I haven’t even started DDs invitations! I think the AK shirts sound adorable.:lovestruc I can’t wait to see pictures.

I love reading about all your trips. I hope you are planning to tell us about all of them. :banana:

[ksl5f123]

:welcome: TinksThree! Glad to have you here!

The 1st time I went was in 1984 and I miss some of the attractions that were in Future World back then! I also remember getting motion sick in the Canada movie!!

Me too! I understand the need for some more exciting rides, but I loved that everything at this park could be done by those of us who are "ultra motion-sensitive!" I can't believe that someone else has gotten motion sick in that movie. :laughing: I really would do better if they would let us sit on the floor!

[ksl5f123]

:wave: elizablake! So happy to have you here!!!

Let me start by saying there is no such thing as too many details.

I am glad to hear that others think this is true. I don't have a lot of friends IRL who what to hear all this stuff. :laughing:

I’m so impressed that your DD6 plays chess. What a smart girl! My DD plays a mean game of Candyland.

We are really lucky that our school has a GREAT chess coach. He is a "Katrina refugee" from New Orleans that volunteers to teach our kids chess.

Are you going to bring a double stroller for your two youngest or rent one?

I thought about getting a double, but with 4 adults available to push we are just going with 2 singles. It gives us better manueverability. :) DS1 will have his everyday. DD4 will certainly have hers at AK and when we do WS in Epcot. I still haven't decided if we will bring it other days.

I love your plan for the 3rd day! But I know what you mean about the WS in the afternoon. At least 1900 Park Fare is still all about princesses. Is that Wed, June 9th ? If so, we will be at the MK the same morning.

Thanks! The girls are princess crazy so DH and I are just came up with a "princess overload" day. It is the 9th. Maybe we will see you around. :)

Isn’t it crazy how Fantasmic is only scheduled twice during the week? I’m assuming Disney will at least add another show to those nights but do you think they will add another day too?

I sure hope so!!!

I love reading about all your trips. I hope you are planning to tell us about all of them.

Thanks again! I love walking down memory lane. Soon, we will hit the point where we got our first digital camera and I will have pics to add. :goodvibes

Karen

[elizablake]

I thought about getting a double, but with 4 adults available to push we are just going with 2 singles. It gives us better manueverability. :) DS1 will have his everyday. DD4 will certainly have hers at AK and when we do WS in Epcot. I still haven't decided if we will bring it other days.


OK. I forgot about all the adults for a minute. DD4 will probably be OK at MK and HS. If she is like my DD, the mornings were fine but when we returned after dinner she liked the stroller but didn't NEED it. At this point, she doesn't need the stroller as much as I need it to put all my stuff in. :rotfl: Between bottled waters, snacks, and camera equipment we bring way too much stuff. Plus, at my current rate, DD's autograph book is going to weigh about 50lbs and need it's own stroller. :)


Thanks! The girls are princess crazy so DH and I are just came up with a "princess overload" day. It is the 9th. Maybe we will see you around. :)


We will be easy to spot. Just look for 4 adults being ordered around by a little princess. I'm the one carring the 50lb autograph book. My father is the one riding in the stroller. :lmao:


Thanks again! I love walking down memory lane. Soon, we will hit the point where we got our first digital camera and I will have pics to add. :goodvibes

Karen

I look forward to it. :)

[pinkxray]

Joining in. I love all of your details. I had to make a few spreadsheets to make sure the dining plan is going to be worth it too.

I am so glad to hear you liked POR enough to stay there again. I had such a tough time picking a resort and am hoping I made the right choice.

Looking forward to more.

[ksl5f123]

If she is like my DD, the mornings were fine but when we returned after dinner she liked the stroller but didn't NEED it. At this point, she doesn't need the stroller as much as I need it to put all my stuff in. Between bottled waters, snacks, and camera equipment we bring way too much stuff. Plus, at my current rate, DD's autograph book is going to weigh about 50lbs and need it's own stroller.

:rotfl: According to the rumors, they are adding new characters soon too (i.e. possibility of Prince Eric appearing with Ariel). I don't know about you, but I didn't make a page for him! Oh well, easy to add. :surfweb:

Karen

[ksl5f123]

:welcome: pinkxray!!

I am so glad to have found a group of people who share my fondness for spreadsheets. :lmao:

[TinksThree]

:welcome: TinksThree! Glad to have you here!



Me too! I understand the need for some more exciting rides, but I loved that everything at this park could be done by those of us who are "ultra motion-sensitive!" I can't believe that someone else has gotten motion sick in that movie. :laughing: I really would do better if they would let us sit on the floor!

I know! I felt like I was swaying the whole time! That is also why I will skip Mission Space...even the green side. It did not make me sick last year but it was way to tight in there!!

[ksl5f123]

The first trip that we took with a child was in January 2005. Our only child at that time (now DD6) was 16 months old. We had gone to FL to visit the in-laws for the week after Christmas. :santa: A few days after New Years, we did a one day visit to WDW.

DH and I still had days on our tickets from our rainy 2001 trip. We just used those and DD was still free so only MIL needed a ticket. I remember a way-too-long discussion about whether on not she should add park hopping to her one day ticket. In the end, she did - and we didn’t hop. Oops. :rolleyes1

We spent the entire day at Epcot. I remember two experiences. First, MIL and DH rode Mission: Space. Back then it was only the “orange” side - and they both got sick. It was horrible! :sick: The other thing I remember was much happier. At that time, DD was fascinated by fish. I remember spending a lot of time looking at the aquariums in the Living Seas. Below is a Photopass pic from that trip showing, MIL, me, DH and DD.

http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/100_1124.jpg

We also ate at Coral Reef that night (no ADR needed, we just walked in). We were seated at a tank-side table and were able to put DD’s highchair right up against the tank. :cool1: She was mesmerized!! We also bought her a drink with a glow cube and she was in toddler heaven! :cloud9: I remember being really happy with the choices available for DD to eat and I really wish I could remember what they were! I know she had a great day and we still have the plush Nemo she got on this trip and is holding in the photo.

Next trip, two kids and AKL in 2006!

[ksl5f123]

Our next trip was in August 2006. Again, we were in FL visiting the in-laws (seeing a pattern develop here?) MIL made reservations for us to go to WDW. I think we were there for 2 or 3 days and we stayed at …. AKL!!! :woohoo: This means one morning, I woke up to this just outside my window
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN1276.jpg

I LOVE AKL!!! On this trip, my oldest DD was 23 months and my younger DD was 8 months. This was my first time with a nursling in the parks, but we did great. If you are thinking about taking a nursing infant, have no fear - you can do it! I have to say that having a room with a balcony was also GREAT for naptime. We could put the DD down and go outside to watch the animals.

I had a few more problems with the older one. As many folks have observed, age 2 is the most common time to have “character fear” and even though she was a month shy of that “magical” age, boy did we ever have this problem!! Here is a pic of her crying with the great mouse
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN1296.jpg. I know a lot of folks say they won’t force their kids to go up if they are scared and if she had been acting nervous in the line we would have skipped it, but she didn’t melt down until he waved at her.

Of course, this started us out on the wrong foot and she would not go near any other characters. Notice her conspicuous absence in this shot
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN1299.jpg

Oh, well. By the end of the trip we did manage this level of comfort
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN1306.jpg

On the other hand, 8 month olds love characters!! Here she is with Jasmine
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN1300.jpg, a mouse (uh-oh, bad DISer. Is it Suzy or Perla??)
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN1305.jpg, and Prince Charming.
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN1307.jpg

Anyway, on this trip, we spent a morning at AK and then hopped to Epcot for our first (of many) dinner at Akershus. The next day we spent in the MK ending at 1900 Park Fare. If there was another day, I don’t remember it, but I thought we spent 2 nights at AKL.

Next time, princesses in 2007!

[ksl5f123]

Our next trip was in late July/early August 2007. The girls were now nearly 4 years old and 20 months old and we stayed in a 1BR at OKW. This trip started off with a real THUD! First, about 2 weeks before we left I was diagnosed with positional vertigo. If you have never had vertigo, it works something like this: you stand up, get dizzy, and fall over - you look left, get dizzy, and fall over - you look right, get dizzy and fall over - basically, you move your head in any direction, you get dizzy and fall over. I was just finishing up a round of medication when we arrived at WDW. As mentioned several times before, I am already a “hesitant” rider, this made me pretty much a non-rider. :sad1:

Now, if that wasn’t enough, before going to WDW, we first spent a week with some friends in a beach house in NC. Somewhere between the beach house and our arrival at WDW, I lost my wallet. :scared1: Panic!!! I have very vivid memories of DH at CP on the cell phone with the credit card companies trying to cancel my card. Of course, he had an operator in India with a thick accent.. Couple that with being on a cell phone in Crystal Palace (LOUD!!!) and it is simply amazing that he managed to cancel my card while keeping his active (same account). :worship: I don’t know how we would have gotten home with no credit cards!

Then we went out to tour MK. The kids had a GREAT time playing in the water at Ariel’s Grotto. I am SOOO going to miss this!!! http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN2049.jpg
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN2057.jpg
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN2067.jpg

Also, on this trip I had arranged for older DD to go to BBB. We were the first appointment of the day at the DTD location. When we arrived, the store was still locked!! After standing around on the sidewalk for what felt like eternity, the store finally opened and we were led straight back to the Boutique. DD had the mid-level package (hair and nails) and we brought a Cinderella dress (from “a big box store”). She sat VERY quietly. Her FGIT did a good job with the hair, but she was as quiet as DD. I would have liked a little interaction. Here is the before http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN2092.jpg and the after http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN2105.jpg

After the appointment, we wandered around DTD which was really neat because we had never been there before. We also picked up some breakfast which we missed since we had been in such a hurry to get to a locked store! We then headed over to the MK for a lunch ADR at CRT!! DD had a great time, but we couldn’t hear any of the wishing ceremony. DD was now well over her “character fear” and had a good time with the princesses. http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN2121.jpg I have to say that while I really enjoyed breakfast here in 2000, I found lunch less exciting. The food just wasn’t my thing.

My funniest memory (also rather embarrassing) shows my DD’s true nature. Here she is, decked out in her Cinderella dress, all “princessed up”, and climbing a tree! :eek: I was doing something with younger DD when I overheard a CM say “Princess, please come down. We don’t want you to get hurt.” How MIL, FIL, and DH who were all standing around her failed to notice this behavior before the CM, I will never know. :rolleyes1

We had a great time at MK, but then decided to try to hop over to AK for a few hours before heading to MIL & FIL’s condo (about 2 hours from Orlando). We got on the bus to AK and before we could get there we saw this:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSCN2135.jpg
So, we just took a bus back to our car and headed out.
Next time, 3 kiddos in November 2008!

[ksl5f123]

Our most recent trip to WDW was just after Thanksgiving in 2008. On this trip, we stayed at POR and the kids ages are now 5 years, almost 3 years, and 4 months. There will be no pictures in this post as the memory card that contains them suddenly claims to be blank!!!!! :scared1: Hopefully, some nice people at a data recovery place will find them all back (a year’s worth of pictures were on that card :sad1:).

We spend Thanksgiving with MIL and FIL at their condo every Thanksgiving. This year, DH was on sabbatical (another GREAT benefit of being a professor :banana:), so we took DD out of kindergarten for a couple of extra days to extend our trip. We were at WDW the Monday - Wednesday after Thanksgiving and it was chilly, wet, and not very crowded!

We spent all of this trip at MK and Epcot. If I had pictures, you would see lots of shots of the wet kiddos playing in Pooh’s Playful Spot (I will miss this too!!!) and some wet kids meeting princesses in Toontown. :rolleyes1 My then 2 yo rode the Barnstormer for the first time on this trip and HATED it. She may end up being a “limited” rider like her mommy.

After a wet morning at MK, we hopped over to Epcot for our traditional supper at Akershus (our 3rd trip there). We still LOVE this meal! Walking out of the Norway pavilion, we decided to take the long way around World Showcase. As we approached Germany, 2yo DD saw her!!! Yes, her idol was outside. She took off toward Snow White at light speed - only to be stopped by a CM who was closing the line. Tears flowed as this desperate momma tried to explain to a devastated 2 yo that Snow White needed a break. :sad1: Ugh!

The next morning we headed back into MK and just as we entered, 2 yo DD started jumping up and down. What now, I wondered? Then, looking to my right, I saw her. Snow White was on her way out at the Exposition Hall. I dropped everything and rushed DD into the line. We were the 2nd family to meet Snow White that morning and I have (or at least had) one of those great pictures of an awestruck toddler hugging her hero (I do have a print of this one). :cloud9: Snow White was wonderful and took several minutes talking to DD!!! Thank you, Snow White, you made our trip! :yay::yay::yay:

DS was pretty much just along for the ride on this trip. I am looking forward to our trip this June when he will be more interactive with all the things we are doing.

Up next, our daily plans!!!

[ksl5f123]

I consider the first day of our trip to be the day that we leave home. :cool1: Most of that day won’t be very exciting as we are just driving 450 miles. :drive: It will be a Saturday, so we don’t have to worry about rush hour traffic. That said, we still want to leave early - hopefully about 7 AM. This will get us to a hotel about 5 PM which allows time for supper and some swimming in the hotel pool. The kids will need this after that many hours in the car. :dance3:

Something that I do on all of our long driving trips is to give the kids maps of the route. Locations that occur about every 50 miles are marked on the maps. When/if they find these locations as we drive, they get a “surprise” bag. For a 450 mile drive, I need 8 bags for this day. Here are the current plans:

Bag 1: Ratatouille DVD
Bag 2: snack - probably poptarts or a donut (special things we don’t usually eat)
Bag 3: Pocahontas DVD
Bag 4: Disney toy - I have picked up a couple of coloring sets on sale so probably one of those.
Bag 5: A Bug’s Life DVD
Bag 6: snack - probably cookies and grapes
Bag 7: Cars DVD
Bag 8: Disney toy - probably stickers and paper

The order of the movies follows the order that we have watched them during our countdown. When we had 115 days until we leave, we made a paper countdown chain. Lots of people on the DIS have really fancy chains, but ours was just alternating red, yellow, and black construction paper with the number written on them. My girls take turns tearing them off. When we get to a multiple of 10, we have a party.

At 110 days from departure, we watched Ratatouille. I made ratatouille and chocolate souffle and served store bought croissants. DH and I had wine and the kids had apple juice in plastic wine glasses. Here is pic of the table: http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0229.jpg
While supper is cooking, the girls do coloring pages of the characters from the movies. After supper, we popcorn:: and :happytv:!

At our 100 day mark, we watched Pocahontas. I made turkey, corn on the cob, squash soup, berries, and fry bread. At 90 days, we watched A Bug’s Life. We had store bought fried chicken, fresh fruit, and chips. Unfortunately, the pics for these are on the defunct memory card.

At 80 days, we watched Cars. This was a cute movie. I hadn't seen it before. We made “car” shaped sandwiches using hoagie rolls (filled with tuna salad), 4 stick pretzels for the axels, and 4 chocolate covered donuts for the wheels. We also had fruit salad and ice cream sundaes. Here is a pic of that table: http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0419.jpg

Of course with this many DVDs as their surprises, I have to figure out a way for them to watch them. We have a minivan with two front seats, two middle seats, and a bench seat in the 3rd row that seats three. Right now, DS1 sits behind the driver in a rear-facing car seat, DD4 sits behind the passenger, and DD6 sits behind DD4. We have a portable DVD player that has 2 screens. In the past, DS has been too young to care so we put one in front of each girl. Now that DS will want to watch the movies too, I have no idea how I am going to arrange these so that all three kids can see. :confused3 Anyone have any ideas?

[elizablake]

OMG, you're so creative. I love the movie themed dinners! A present every 50 miles will really help with the long drive. I wish I had a suggestion about the DVDs but I don't. Unless you can change the seating and have DD4 and DD6 share.

[TinksThree]

I love how you have done the movies/meals countdown! What great ideas!!

When we had 3 wanting to watch the dual videos, the oldest sitting in the back would move to the center back seat and look at the passenger side video. BUT he was also a teenager and not always interested in what the other two were watching, so probably not that much of a help to you! :confused3

[ksl5f123]

OMG, you're so creative. I love the movie themed dinners!

I love how you have done the movies/meals countdown! What great ideas!!


Thanks!!!! I got some of the ideas from a great thread over on the DIS for Families board. Some very creative folks post over there. We have enjoyed the nights so much, DH asked if we could continue them after the trip!!

As far as the video screen, I would love to be able to connect a 3rd screen onto our current setup, but I haven't had time to see if that is possible. If it is not, I am trying to decide between suspending one screen between the two front seats and turning DS around (they can turn around at 12 months and 20 lbs and he will be 23 months and is now 28 lbs, but I like to keep my kids rear-facing until I have to turn them at 35 lbs). That would allow DS and DD4 to share. The other option would be to move DD4 to the back seat and have the girls share. The disadvantages of this are that DD4 cannot buckle/unbuckle her own seatbelt so we would have to count on her letting DD6 do it for her and the screen will be directly in front of one girl, but not the other which may cause some sibling issue?

[ksl5f123]

Day 2 is also not too exciting. We will go to church in whatever town we stop in. I have already consulted masstimes.org for different churches in each possible stopping city. We will probably get on the road at about 10 AM. On this day, we want to do 350 miles. That should put us at our hotel by 7 PM including stops for lunch and supper.

The “surprise” bags for this day will be:
Bag 1: Mulan DVD
Bag 2: Disney toy - probably Color Wonder books and markers
Bag 3: Princess and the Frog DVD
Bag 4: snack - probably cookies and grapes again
Bag 5: Mickey & the Beanstalk or Tinkerbell DVD
Bag 6: Disney toy - maybe a Leapster game? I haven’t decided on this one yet.

Again, the movies are in the order of our countdown parties. At 70 days until departure, we watched Mulan. I am slightly surprised about the degree to which my girls :love: this movie. I think they have watched it every day since our party three weeks ago! This night, we had Chinese take out and ate with chopsticks. These pictures are also victims of the corrupted memory card.

At 60 days out, we watched the Princess and the Frog. DH and I saw this in the theater, but the kids hadn’t seen it before. It was fun. :banana: I made red beans and rice, macque choux corn, green apples shaped like frogs and, of course beignets!!! :thumbsup2 Here are pics of the table, the frogs, and the beignets. http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0672.jpg http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0675.jpg
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0674.jpg

At 50 days out, we watched Mickey and the Beanstalk. DH made cheese pizza which we presented shaped like Mickey, green beans, and Mickey ice cream sundaes. The movie was new to us. It is a collection of five shorts from the 1930s-50s. I had seen a couple of them as a kid, but not for a really long time. It was kind of funny the things that I had to explain to the kids - old fashioned telephones, radio, etc. Here are pics of the food and the table.http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0679.jpg http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0681.jpg http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0683.jpg

When we reach 40 days out, we are going to watch Tinkerbell. This is another movie I have never seen before. I am still a little stuck on the food I am going to serve. :confused3 Anybody who has seen the movie have an idea? I will wait until after we watch this one to decide if I am going to have Mickey be a “surprise” or go straight to Tinkerbell. The Mickey movie is only 69 minutes, so it may be perfect or it may be too short.

Next up - Day 3 we finally arrive!

[ksl5f123]

On day 3, we still have 120 miles to :drive: before we arrive at WDW. I hope to leave the hotel by 9 AM and be in Orlando by 11 AM. This will be a Monday morning, so I want to avoid high traffic times. Before we go to POR, we will stop for some groceries. I want to pick up some milk and fruit. Given how long our drive is and the heat of the summer, I don’t think these are things I can bring with me.

After a quick grocery trip, we hope to arrive at POR between noon and 1 PM. We will check in then and see if it is possible to go to our room. If it is not, we will probably ask them to hold the groceries while we hop into the MK to get DS1 his first haircut at the Main Street Barber shop. If we can get into our rooms, I will send DH to take a tour of POR with the kids while I set up their arrival surprises! I have been working on these baskets for months and am so excited to see their reactions! I am :yay::yay::yay: about these!

Here is what I have for the girls baskets so far: 18” plush characters (Minnie with a pink bow for DD6, Daisy with a purple bow for DD4, Tiana shirts (in honor of their arrival at POR! - An aside here, who else thinks that sometime in the future there will be a TS dining location in POR or POFQ named Tiana’s Place? Seems obvious to me and POFQ lacks at TS restaurant! :idea:), hairbows that match the shirts, pajamas, flashlights, lanyards with pins, hats, backpacks, suckers decorated like Mickey, Minnie, and Winnie the Pooh, autograph books, jibbitz for their crocs, sunglasses, bubbles, and a mister fan. I will post some pics when I get everything assembled.

For DS1, I have a 18” plush Mickey, a Disney t-shirt, a flashlight, a hat, some suckers, an autograph book, sunglasses, bubbles, and a mister fan. I will probably still try to pick up some kind of sippy or straw cup for him.

The girls baskets will be actual baskets that I will wrap in cellophane wrap with lots of ribbons. For DS, I picked up a Mickey Easter “thing” at Walgreens at an after Easter clearance for $2.50. It is a clear plastic cylinder about a foot tall and the lid is black Mickey ears! It was filled with stickers, tattoos, a coloring book, and candy. We have already removed all of that so I will just put his stuff in there! There is a pic of it in my previous post. It decorated the table at our Mickey party.

At about 4 PM, we will head over to Epcot. We have a 5:20 ADR at Tutto Italia. This is DH’s only request of the trip, so I put it right up front. :goodvibes My plan is to ride the Mexico ride, get a FP for Maelstrom, eat supper, ride Maelstrom, and leave. Hopefully that timing will work out. If not, we have plenty of other days for rides!

Up next, Day 4 = Animal Kingdom!

[TinksThree]

I have thought the same thing about how natural a TS with Tiana at POR or POFQ would be! When I was trying to decide where we would stay, I kept thinking, that is a perfect fit!!

Cool to think what I will be doing on your arrival day!! ...DHS and then who knows...pool, DTD or EMH at DHS??

I love the basket ideas! We may have to have a mickey night because that is sooo cute. But the Princess and the Frog table is too cute, especially the frogs!!

We did movies on the way to Orlando and even with teens it worked great. What I liked about it was that it kept them "in the car" with me instead of inside the cell phones and I-Pods!! :lmao: Plus it really broke the trip down, we kept saying 3 more movies, 2, 1 and then we were there!!

[dellasgirl]

Wow--the baskets sound great--why didn't i think of something like that when my kids were younger:confused3
When you watch the Tink movie--maybe you could have flower shaped cookies
coupled with a flower centerpiece?
the bags sound like fun--we still--well we meaning me--pack a surprise bag for the kids--family tradition

[ksl5f123]

I love the basket ideas! We may have to have a mickey night because that is sooo cute. But the Princess and the Frog table is too cute, especially the frogs!!


Thanks again! I decided to do the baskets after looking at the stuff that Disney Florist can deliver in a welcome package. I couldn't bring myself to spend what they charge so I thought I would just do it myself. I think the total spent for all 3 baskets is about $65 (most of which went toward the trading pins).

I loved the frogs too. They were so easy to make - 3 slices of green apple, 1 green grape cut in half for feet, 2 1/4 teaspoon dots of cream cheese and 2 chocolate chips for eyes. My DS1 ate all of the grapes and chocolate chips, so the rest of us only got apples. Good thing I got a picture before he got to the plate!

Karen

[ksl5f123]

When you watch the Tink movie--maybe you could have flower shaped cookies
coupled with a flower centerpiece?


That is a good idea! Thanks! I bought some paper cupcake wrappers with Tink on them. I am thinking of serving all of our food in them - small sized serving dishes for fairies! The menu currently is cut up fruit and cheese cubes. Obviously, I still need more! Maybe some finger sandwiches.....

Karen

[TinksThree]

For the Tink movie night I had thought the same thing...flowers and little miniature foods. We did a miniature meal one time and used those rolls with sausage in them for "baby hotdogs". Like pigs in a blanket, sort of. Of course don't forget the Pixie Dust!! pixiedust:

[ksl5f123]

Of course don't forget the Pixie Dust!!

Oooooh. Actually, I had forgotten!! What would I do without my DIS friends? Our Day 40 party should be on Monday, but DS1 and I are flying to San Diego for the weekend for my cousin's wedding and we won't be home until after the girls should be in bed Monday night. I have class all day Tuesday. So, it looks like the Tink party will be Wednesday!

Karen

[ksl5f123]

Day 4 is our first full day of touring!! We plan to get up at 7 AM, have breakfast in the room, and make rope drop at Animal Kingdom. I really want to see the opening show - we have never been to rope drop here. Here are pics of the outfits for the kids that day.
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0688.jpg http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0689.jpg and the girl‘s hairbow. http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0691.jpg
We will probably drive this day and the current plan is to use both strollers. Here is the touring plan:

- FPV get Expedition Everest fastpasses for DH and nephews
- DH and nephews ride Dinosaur while DD6, DD4, DS1 and I ride Triceratop Spin. MIL and FIL can choose which they prefer
- walk the Pangani trail - I love the gorillas
- get fastpass for the Safari
- Donald’s Safari breakfast at Tusker House (10:15 ADR) - our first time here as well. I hear the food is pretty good and I am looking forward to seeing Mickey on our first day!! :banana::banana:
- meet other random characters - DH and nephews ride Everest with fastpass
- Festival of the Lion King (noon show) - we have never seen this either
- ride Safari with fastpass

At this point we have two options: Option 1) We can’t stand the heat. We leave, grab a quick meal at Riverside Mill, and go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. Option 2) We are having too much fun to leave so we

- get a fastpass for Kali River Rapids
- walk the Maharajah Jungle Trail - watch some probably sleeping tigers
- see the 2 PM Nemo show - not sure about this one. I want to see it, but don't know if DS1 can sit that long. It will, however, be his nap time so maybe if it isn't too loud he will just doze off....
- get a meal from Pizzafari or Flame Tree - I would prefer Flame Tree, but DH is a vegetarian and I don't see anything for him on their menu. Of course, we could just split up...
- see the parade - I :love: parades and we haven't seen this one
- ride Kali with fast pass
- leave and do nothing the rest of the night.

Up next, Day 5 = Princess Day!

[elizablake]

An aside here, who else thinks that sometime in the future there will be a TS dining location in POR or POFQ named Tiana’s Place? Seems obvious to me and POFQ lacks at TS restaurant! :idea:),

Disney should hire you!:lmao::thumbsup2

The baskets sound perfect. :thumbsup2

Day 4 is our first full day of touring!! We plan to get up at 7 AM, have breakfast in the room, and make rope drop at Animal Kingdom. I really want to see the opening show - we have never been to rope drop here. Here are pics of the outfits for the kids that day.
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0688.jpg http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0689.jpg and the girl‘s hairbow. http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0691.jpg
We will probably drive this day and the current plan is to use both strollers. Here is the touring plan:

- FPV get Expedition Everest fastpasses for DH and nephews
- DH and nephews ride Dinosaur while DD6, DD4, DS1 and I ride Triceratop Spin. MIL and FIL can choose which they prefer
- walk the Pangani trail - I love the gorillas
- get fastpass for the Safari
- Donald’s Safari breakfast at Tusker House (10:15 ADR) - our first time here as well. I hear the food is pretty good and I am looking forward to seeing Mickey on our first day!! :banana::banana:
- meet other random characters - DH and nephews ride Everest with fastpass
- Festival of the Lion King (noon show) - we have never seen this either
- ride Safari with fastpass

At this point we have two options: Option 1) We can’t stand the heat. We leave, grab a quick meal at Riverside Mill, and go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. Option 2) We are having too much fun to leave so we

- get a fastpass for Kali River Rapids
- walk the Maharajah Jungle Trail - watch some probably sleeping tigers
- see the 2 PM Nemo show - not sure about this one. I want to see it, but don't know if DS1 can sit that long. It will, however, be his nap time so maybe if it isn't too loud he will just doze off....
- get a meal from Pizzafari or Flame Tree - I would prefer Flame Tree, but DH is a vegetarian and I don't see anything for him on their menu. Of course, we could just split up...
- see the parade - I :love: parades and we haven't seen this one
- ride Kali with fast pass
- leave and do nothing the rest of the night.

Up next, Day 5 = Princess Day!

Your plan sounds really reasonable. We love riding Triceratop Spin first thing in the AM. The CM's let us just stay on the ride since no one was waiting.:)

We have never seen the Parade at AK either. I heard it is the best at DW. I think you guys might choose option 2 since it is your first day and you will be so excited and not exhausted yet.

Also, the AK hair bow is soooo cute! Did you make it?

[ksl5f123]

Also, the AK hair bow is soooo cute! Did you make it?

I did. Glad you like it. I hope the girls will too. I found the Mickey/Minnie with safari hat ribbon on ebay and just had to have it!

[TinksThree]

Oooooh. Actually, I had forgotten!! What would I do without my DIS friends? Our Day 40 party should be on Monday, but DS1 and I are flying to San Diego for the weekend for my cousin's wedding and we won't be home until after the girls should be in bed Monday night. I have class all day Tuesday. So, it looks like the Tink party will be Wednesday!

Karen

I am sure they do not care which day it officailly is!! :) Do your children know when each movie day is coming up and what it will be, or is that a surprise? I am so glad I mentioned the Pixie Dust!!

I love AK but I am a little concerned about the heat...I have not been in the warmer months! I really like how your two options are laid out, you can go with the moment!! And I love the ribbons! I wish I could get away with wearing those bows!! :laughing:

[ksl5f123]

Our 5th day we have dedicated as our Princess Day!! :cool1::cool1: We will get up at 6:30 and have a small breakfast in the room. We have a 8:05 appointment for the girls at BBB in the castle! :woohoo: I may be as excited about this as the girls are! I haven’t decided if we should drive or try to take the bus this day. :confused3 Opinions welcome!! I want to be leaving our resort by 7:15. Do busses run that early? If we drive, will the monorail or ferry be running from TTC? The park opening time this day is 9 AM.

Both girls want the Princess hairstyle at BBB and we will do the mid-level package where they get the hair and their nails done. They do not know that I have new princess dresses that I bought for them on ebay. DD6 will have a new Aurora dress and DD4 will have Snow White. After much thought, I have decided they will not be wearing fancy princess shoes, but just their regular tennis shoes. I am going to bring extra outfits for them in case they don’t want to stay princesses in the June heat. My guess is that DD6 will change but DD4 will not.

I think we should be done at BBB to make 9 AM rope drop. The touring plan for that morning is:
- Dumbo for me and kids while DH and nephews ride Space Mountain and get fastpass for Buzz Lightyear
- Winnie the Pooh
- Tea Cups
Option 1) go see the fairies or Option 2) Carousel and It’s A Small World
- get fastpass for Peter Pan
- 10:15 ADR at Cinderella’s Royal Table!!!!! :yay::yay:
- ride Peter Pan with fastpass
- ride Buzz with fastpass
- take pictures and leave

At this point, anyone who is hot or tired will return to POR for a break. Those still excited about being a princess will hop to Epcot. The goal of this hop is to see princesses in the World Showcase. We will use the monorail for this transfer irrespective of our morning transit decision.

At Epcot, we will
- look for Alice and Mary Poppins in England
- look for Belle, Beast, and Aurora in France
- look for Jasmine and Aladdin in Morocco
- look for Snow White in Germany
- look for Mulan in China
- ADR at Akershus at 5:10 PM
- return to POR

It at any point, we get hot or tired we will head inside pavilions to shop or grab ice cream and have a seat.

Up next, Day 6 - the day of many options!

[ksl5f123]

Do your children know when each movie day is coming up and what it will be, or is that a surprise?

They know when the movie days will be because they are pulling loops off our paper chain each day. We party on days that are multiples of 10. As to the theme, I discuss the possibilities with them, but the final deccision is mine.

And I love the ribbons! I wish I could get away with wearing those bows!!

Thanks - me too!

[elizablake]

Our 5th day we have dedicated as our Princess Day!! :cool1::cool1: We will get up at 6:30 and have a small breakfast in the room. We have a 8:05 appointment for the girls at BBB in the castle! :woohoo: I may be as excited about this as the girls are! I haven’t decided if we should drive or try to take the bus this day. :confused3 Opinions welcome!! I want to be leaving our resort by 7:15. Do busses run that early? If we drive, will the monorail or ferry be running from TTC? The park opening time this day is 9 AM.

:woohoo: Woohoo! The princess day! What a great idea. I've been looking forward to reading your plans for this day.

Your staying at POR right? If you drive, the monorail will be open but I think you have to take the resort monorail not the express one. I know Disney provides some way for you to get to the MK. When we stayed at the Fort, we had to take a boat to the Contemporary and then ride the monorail. I asked several CMs before I got an answer. One actually told me that Crystal Palace doesn't take ADRs that early. :confused3 All that to say...plan on driving but if you would prefer to ride the bus, then ask the CMs when you get there. Or you can ask on the transportation board or resorts board. DISers always have the answer. :goodvibes

They start letting early ADRs in at 7:45. I would be there then so you can take your time and enjoy it.

Also, BBB only takes about 30mins so you should have plenty of time to take photos of your little princesses in an almost empty MK. :cool1:

Both girls want the Princess hairstyle at BBB and we will do the mid-level package where they get the hair and their nails done. They do not know that I have new princess dresses that I bought for them on ebay. DD6 will have a new Aurora dress and DD4 will have Snow White. After much thought, I have decided they will not be wearing fancy princess shoes, but just their regular tennis shoes. I am going to bring extra outfits for them in case they don’t want to stay princesses in the June heat. My guess is that DD6 will change but DD4 will not.

I think we should be done at BBB to make 9 AM rope drop. The touring plan for that morning is:
- Dumbo for me and kids while DH and nephews ride Space Mountain and get fastpass for Buzz Lightyear
- Winnie the Pooh
- Tea Cups
Option 1) go see the fairies or Option 2) Carousel and It’s A Small World
- get fastpass for Peter Pan
- 10:15 ADR at Cinderella’s Royal Table!!!!! :yay::yay:
- ride Peter Pan with fastpass
- ride Buzz with fastpass
- take pictures and leave

:love::love:Your plan sounds perfect. Peter Pan and Wendy are in Fantasyland now and sometimes you can catch the Fairy God Mother across from It's a Small World. Also, the Carousel makes great photographs of little girls in their princess attire. :lovestruc

[ksl5f123]

I had a couple of minutes to take pictures of the girls dresses. Here is DD6's Sleeping Beauty:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0716.jpg

The front of DD4's Snow White:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0717.jpg

And the back of DD4's Snow White:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0718.jpg

They are both new dresses that I bought from ebay for $25 each. Now I just have to decide if I am going to line them, have them wear clothes underneath, or just bring clothes to change into. DD6 is the most likely to change, but the shape of the neckline on that dress makes it difficult to put anything underneath that won't show.

While the girls are princesses, DS1 will be wearing
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0719.jpg
hopefully along with the Mickey ears he will get on Day 3 when we get his 1st haircut.

Karen

[ksl5f123]

If you drive, the monorail will be open but I think you have to take the resort monorail not the express one.

Thanks for the advice. My inclination is to drive this day. The idea would be to drive to the TTC. Take the resort monorail into MK, take the monorail back to TTC then over to Epcot, take the monorail back from Epcot to TTC, drive back to POR. I think this might be slower than bus to MK, monorail to TTC to Epcot, bus to POR. My big worry is just about making the BBB appt using the bus. I probably shouldn't worry, but as the planner, that is my job. :)

[ksl5f123]

Day 6 will be a slower day! We will wake up when we want to in the morning - probably around 8 AM. Here are the girls shirts
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0721.jpg
and hairbow (you can't see all the princesses in the picture, but the ribbon has Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, and Snow White just like the shirt)
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0723.jpg
and DS1’s shirt
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0720.jpg.

After breakfast, we will take the boat ride from POR to Downtown Disney. My goals for DTD are shopping at World of Disney and the Lego Store and eating at Wolfgang Puck Express, Ghiradelli, and Goofy’s Candy Company. :lovestruc Can you say sugar overload?!!

Here is the plan: We want to eat lunch at WPE. The meals here just look wonderful! It seems like the best use of a CS credit that I can find - especially for the kids! I am not a big fan of crème brulee (ducking), so I will probably just get the brownie for dessert. That seems like something I can wrap up to take with me that probably won’t melt (I hope).

Then, hopefully, I will have enough room to have dessert at Ghiradelli’s. We have never tried this place before, but I can’t read the menu without drooling over the Gold Rush :cloud9: (from allears.net “The Gold Rush - Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae - Vanilla ice cream with freshly homemade hot fudge and melted peanut butter throughout. Topped with whipped cream, chopped almonds, a cherry and Ghirardelli Squares milk chocolate $7.95” Did you read that?!! Homemade hot fudge and melted peanut butter!!!!!!!!!! Now, I have to tell you that I don’t eat chocolate ice cream without peanut butter (or at least peanuts). It is an addiction I have had since childhood. I simply MUST HAVE this sundae!! :worship:

Of course, this leaves me with the huge dilemna of what to do about Goofy’s Candy Company. How quickly does their stuff melt? There is simply no possible way that we will be able to eat any candy while we are here! :sick: Will it survive the boat ride back to POR? What if we don’t go straight back? I could carry an insulated lunch box with a ziploc bag of ice in it if it will help. :confused:

Now, the options begin. Option 1)We return to POR, change into swim suits and head to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. Option 2) We return to POR to drop off our candy then head to Animal Kingdom (if we left early on Day 4). Option 3) We don’t buy candy and head straight to Animal Kingdom from DTD

If we return to AK, here is the touring plan:
- Finding Nemo show at 2 PM
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- Get Kali fastpass
- Jungle Parade
- Rafiki’s Planet watch
- ride Kali with fastpass

Of course, the above plan is for the current park hours. Disney has mentioned that AK will have extended hours during Summer Nightastic! :cool1: So, it may be possible to arrive at AK later and see a later showing of Nemo (Please, Disney! Please, reveal these hours!!! :worship:)

Just in case that wasn’t enough options, we also have options for supper. Option 1) The original plan was supper at 1900 Park Fare at 7:25 PM followed by watching the Electrical Water Parade from the Grand Floridian before returning to the resort or Option 2) Decide we are too tired to stay out that late and cancel the Park Fare ADR and eat CS at AK or POR.

Up next Day 7 - Epcot!

[TinksThree]

Then, hopefully, I will have enough room to have dessert at Ghiradelli’s. We have never tried this place before, but I can’t read the menu without drooling over the Gold Rush :cloud9: (from allears.net “The Gold Rush - Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae - Vanilla ice cream with freshly homemade hot fudge and melted peanut butter throughout. Topped with whipped cream, chopped almonds, a cherry and Ghirardelli Squares milk chocolate $7.95” Did you read that?!! Homemade hot fudge and melted peanut butter!!!!!!!!!! Now, I have to tell you that I don’t eat chocolate ice cream without peanut butter (or at least peanuts). It is an addiction I have had since childhood. I simply MUST HAVE this sundae!! :worship:

We had milkshakes at Ghiradelli's last year....so very good!! I have my menu from last year so i thought I would make you drool a little more over the Gold Rush :littleangel:

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab29/tinksthree/Disney%20June%202010/IMG_4519.jpg



I just love :love: options...I plan so many variations so if we feel like doing something...there is still a plan for that!!

[ksl5f123]

I have my menu from last year so i thought I would make you drool a little more over the Gold Rush


OOOooohhh!!!! It worked!!!! Can I eat my computer screen?

Karen

[ksl5f123]

On Day 7 our focus will be Epcot Future World. The current thinking is to use our first GAD voucher this day for fastpasses. Here are the girls outfits:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0730.jpg
Hairbows:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0729.jpg
And DS1’s outfit:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0731.jpg

We will again get up at 7 AM, eat breakfast in the room, and go to Epcot arriving for rope drop. We will probably drive this day. Here is the touring plan:

- Spaceship Earth
- Seas with Nemo
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- Soarin’ with GAD for those big enough while some ride Living with the Land with those too small (also with GAD)
- reverse above groups
- Journey into Imagination
- Innoventions and Club Cool for my family while nephews, MIL, and FIL use GAD for Test Track
- Mission: Space with GAD for those interested - Mission: Space pavilion for rest
- 1 PM ADR for me, MIL, DD6, DD4, and DS1 at Biergarten and for DH, FIL, and nephews at Marrakesh. I :love: German food, music, and dancing and going to Oktoberfest was a huge part of growing up for me. DH on the otherhand is completely uninterested. So, we decided splitting up made everybody happier! :yay:
- ride Maelstrom with GAD if not done on day 3
- give remaining GAD passes to MIL, FIL, and nephews to re-ride Soarin’, ride Test Track, whatever while we leave

We will then take a nap or swim at the pool. At about 5 PM, DH and I will take the nephews to DHS to see the Hyperspace Hoopla at Star Wars Weekend and watch Fantasmic! We originally had the Fantasmic Dinner scheduled, but after watching the show on YouTube, my girls decided it was WAY too scary and they did not want to see it. :confused3 So, the plan is just for DH and me to take the boys.

In other news, we had our Pinocchio party tonight. I know it was supposed to be Tinkerbell, but FIL is visiting and I didn’t think he would enjoy the food or the movie all that much. So, we decided to do Pinocchio first. We had create-your-own stromboli, salad (not really with the theme but I needed to harvest some lettuce from the garden), and mango or raspberry sorbetti. Here is the table:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0726.jpg
We made the plates into puppets by drawing on them with markers. Here is one:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0727.jpg


Day 8 - the big Magic Kingdom Day!!

[ksl5f123]

The trip feels so much closer now! I turned in my grades today, so I am officially on summer vacation!!!

[TinksThree]

Have you eaten at Marakkesh before? I know it is the men going and not you but it is very good! I was a little apprehensive but it was one of our favorites. The waiters were so personable! But there is also a belly dancer that you are sending men to see unchaperoned...you know this right????:rotfl2:

Cute Pinocchio meal...the puppet plates are so clever!!

[ksl5f123]

Day 8 - The Magic Kingdom Day!!!! Here are the girls’ shirts:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0732.jpg
The hairbow:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0736.jpg
And DS1’s outfit:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0737.jpg
Once again, we will plan to get up at 7 AM and make rope drop at the park. This is another day I am thinking of using the bus. I want to make sure to arrive on this day early enough to see the show before rope drop. We have never done that before! We will use our 2nd GAD voucher for fastpasses on this day.

The touring plan:
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Fairies if not done on day 5
- Barnstormer
- Mickey & Minnie’s houses
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- ADR at Crystal Palace at 11:35
- Thunder Mountain with GAD for those willing and tall enough
- Splash Mountain with GAD for those willing and tall enough
- shopping on Main street for those not tall enough or uninterested

We will then return to POR for a nap or swim and return to the park at 5 PM.

- Country Bears
- Tiki Room
- Jungle Cruise with GAD
- supper at Columbia Harbour House
- Carousel of Progress
- TTA
- Buzz with GAD
- Buzz with GAD
- Monsters, Inc
- Main Street Electrical Parade
- Summer Nightastic! Fireworks
- return to POR and sleep

Up next, Day 9 - Star Wars Weekend!

[ksl5f123]

Have you eaten at Marakkesh before? I know it is the men going and not you but it is very good! I was a little apprehensive but it was one of our favorites. The waiters were so personable! But there is also a belly dancer that you are sending men to see unchaperoned...you know this right????

:rotfl:

I ate at Marakkesh a few years ago with DH. He loved it! Me, eh. We eat a lot of Mediterrean food (hummus, couscous) so I thought I would like it, but the chicken was just weird. Maybe it was an off night, because there were only about two other tables of people there when we were. Glad you like it! I know DH, FIL, and the nephews will have fun there.

[ksl5f123]

I have a confession to make - I LOVE :lovestruc Star Wars! DH and I are both big fans and I am really excited to go to SWW for the first time!

None of our kids have seen any of the Star Wars movies. In fact, my kids have only ever seen one movie in a theater. It was a Veggie Tales movie and both of my girls spent most of the time hiding because it was too scary! :confused3 For those unfamiliar with Veggie Tales, they are Bible stories with animated vegetables as the characters. I have no idea how that was scary! :rolleyes1 Anyway, DH and I will be taking our nephews (who are Star Wars fans) to DHS while MIL and FIL entertain our kids. Here are the girls shirts:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0761.jpg
and hairbow
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0762.jpg

I want to arrive at DHS before rope drop to see the opening show. Our goals for this day are to get pictures and autographs with the characters (not the celebrities - although I am tempted to meet Peter Mayhew - I :love: :chewy:!!!) and watch the parade. I don’t have a touring plan other than I have heard that Darth Vader’s line gets long quickly so we will probably head for him first. When I was 7, :darth: came to my hometown grocery store and signed the cast that I had on my arm that fall. I would love to get another pic with Darth.

We plan to leave DHS as soon as the parade is over. We will then take a nap or go to the pool. At about 5 PM, we will get cleaned up and head to mass which is at 6 PM. After mass, we will leave all children with MIL and FIL while DH and I have DATE NIGHT!!!! :jumping1: We have a 7:40 ADR at bluezoo. We have never been there before and I am excited. We will probably do something after supper. Any suggestions? I have considered wandering the Boardwalk or heading into DHS if there is a 2nd Fantasmic! added and we didn’t see it on Friday. There are EMH at the Magic Kingdom until 2 AM. Any other ideas?

Up next, day 10 - a little of this, a little of that.

[ksl5f123]

I had a minor freak out event today. Somehow, I have misplaced the notebook that I have all of my dining reservation numbers written in. :confused3 In a house with 3 small kids, stuff disappears all the time. It will probably reappear in a few days.

Anyway, in the meantime, I was trying to reconstruct all of my confirmation numbers from the emails that we get when booking online.

You know how when you are booking online, you can link the reservation to your resort reservation? You know how when you do that it automatically defaults the date of your dining reservation to the first date of your stay? Somehow, I failed to change it again when booking our Akershus ADR back in January!!!!!!! :scared1: :scared1: :scared1:

So, as of about 2 hours ago, we were supposed to eat at Akershus at 5:10 and Tutto Italia at 5:20 on the same day! :headache: I quickly got online and was able to find a 3 PM ADR at Akershus on the correct day. It is earlier than I want, but not tragic. This is our princess day, so we will be having brunch at CRT at 10:15 and then lupper (lunch/supper) at Akershus at 3 PM. Those ressies are still 5 hours apart, so we should be OK, right?!!! Please somebody tell me this will be OK! Does anyone know if we will get the lunch or supper menu at Akershus at 3 PM? We prefer the supper menu, but I will do either to save Princess Day!!!

[TinksThree]

After mass, we will leave all children with MIL and FIL while DH and I have DATE NIGHT!!!! :jumping1: We have a 7:40 ADR at bluezoo. We have never been there before and I am excited. We will probably do something after supper. Any suggestions? I have considered wandering the Boardwalk or heading into DHS if there is a 2nd Fantasmic! added and we didn’t see it on Friday. There are EMH at the Magic Kingdom until 2 AM. Any other ideas?

Up next, day 10 - a little of this, a little of that.

Date night!! :woohoo: I would be inclined to go to Fantasmic or the Boardwalk if it were us, but my DH isn't really into rides for EMH at MK. Too bad Pleasure Island has closed.

I had a minor freak out event today. Somehow, I have misplaced the notebook that I have all of my dining reservation numbers written in. :confused3 In a house with 3 small kids, stuff disappears all the time. It will probably reappear in a few days.

Anyway, in the meantime, I was trying to reconstruct all of my confirmation numbers from the emails that we get when booking online.

You know how when you are booking online, you can link the reservation to your resort reservation? You know how when you do that it automatically defaults the date of your dining reservation to the first date of your stay? Somehow, I failed to change it again when booking our Akershus ADR back in January!!!!!!! :scared1: :scared1: :scared1:

So, as of about 2 hours ago, we were supposed to eat at Akershus at 5:10 and Tutto Italia at 5:20 on the same day! :headache: I quickly got online and was able to find a 3 PM ADR at Akershus on the correct day. It is earlier than I want, but not tragic. This is our princess day, so we will be having brunch at CRT at 10:15 and then lupper (lunch/supper) at Akershus at 3 PM. Those ressies are still 5 hours apart, so we should be OK, right?!!! Please somebody tell me this will be OK! Does anyone know if we will get the lunch or supper menu at Akershus at 3 PM? We prefer the supper menu, but I will do either to save Princess Day!!!

I think I would have had a stroke!! :scared1: I have not been to either CRT or Akershus but 5 hours could possibly be okay between meals. We have done similar timeframes and were just very full at the end of the day! You have to have Princess Day!!! :lovestruc:lovestruc

[ksl5f123]

I think I would have had a stroke!! I have not been to either CRT or Akershus but 5 hours could possibly be okay between meals. We have done similar timeframes and were just very full at the end of the day! You have to have Princess Day!!!

I have to admit that I panicked for a couple of minutes!! I am still looking for better times, and was able to move Akershus to 3:20 (instead of 3 PM) today. I will keep looking! I am SO excited about Princess Day!

[ksl5f123]

The last two days aren't quite as "polished" as the rest, but we now leave in just 25 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I want to finish my daily plans so I can talk about everything else. :goodvibes

On Day 10, we currently have a 7 AM ADR at Chef Mickey. We have never been here and I think the kids will love it, but I question our ability to get up and moving, especially this late in the trip. :coffee: Here are the girls shirts for this day:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0765.jpg
and the hairbow
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0766.jpg

After breakfast, we will head into Magic Kingdom to ride everyone’s favorite rides one last time. Hopefully, we will be done with that by 11 AM so that we can hop over to Epcot.

At 12:10, we have a reservation for the Storytime in the Norway pavilion for those who book with AAA. I was really looking forward to this when it was going to be in the Exposition Hall in Magic Kingdom. I am a little less excited now. Hopefully the girls will enjoy it.

After Storytime, we will have lunch in the World Showcase, probably at Tangierine Café. We will then wander around World Showcase trying to watch as many shows as possible. The kids will also do the Kidcot stops and we might try a Kim Possible mission.

We have a 5:55 PM ADR at Coral Reef. I would love to stay for Illuminations, but with the very early morning and no scheduled break, I don’t see that happening. :sad2:

Up next, our last day!

[ksl5f123]

On our last day, we are going to DHS. We are currently planning to use our last GAD voucher for fastpasses on this day. This gives us flexibility to miss rope drop if we aren’t done checking out of POR.

Here are the girls' shirts:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0763.jpg
and the hairbow:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0764.jpg

Here is the touring plan:

- Voyage of the Little Mermaid (GAD if needed)
- Playhouse Disney for little ones while DH and nephews ride Rockin Roller Coaster with GAD
- Toy Story Mania x2 with GAD
- lunch at Starring Rolls or Pizza Planet
- Beauty and the Beast
- Star Tours with GAD for those big enough, Honey I shrunk the kids playground for rest
- Muppets
- Animation Studio for drawing and characters
- parade
- 4:50 ADR at 1900 Park Fare if we skipped it earlier in the week.
- check in to another Orlando hotel

That ends the Disney portion of our trip. The next day, we will go to Seaworld then drive about 2 hours to MIL and FIL’s condo. We will spend a couple of days there sitting on the beach and then take 2 days to drive home. The last time, we stopped and saw the aquarium in Atlanta on our way home and that was INCREDIBLE. We might do it again or we might be tired of traveling and just head home quickly.

[TinksThree]

Your plans sound so good! A nice spread out trip!! Beach down time is always good!! :cool1:

[ksl5f123]

Now that I have my daily plans done, I have turned my attention to making the kids welcome baskets. Here are the things that will be in DD6’s basket:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0753.jpg

Starting at the upper left corner, it contains her clipboard for holding her autograph cards, glow bracelets, a backpack that you can color, Minnie, some princess tattoos, her lanyard with 6 pins, 10 lollipops with 3 of them decorated, a flashlight, a misting fan, a Minnie hat, and her photo album to put in pictures and the signed autograph cards.
It will also contain her Tiana shirt with hairbow.
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0758.jpg
I am going to add a little note from Tiana welcoming them to POR.

Here is a close-up of the Minnie, Mickey, and Winnie the Pooh lollipop covers. DD4 and I had a blast making these!
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0756.jpg
Here is what it looks like all put together.
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0759.jpg
It will also contain some Jibbitz for her new crocs, but I forgot to put them in the picture. She has a Mickey, Minnie, Winnie the Pooh, and Aurora ones.

[ksl5f123]

With all of the planning, I never got around to posting about our Tinkerbell party. It was awesome!!!! :banana: First, the movie is really cute. None of us had ever seen it before and we all really enjoyed it. DD4 was a little upset that the one fairy wearing purple (Vidia) isn’t very nice to Tinkerbell. She is obsessed with the color purple and loves anything purple, so she wanted to love Vidia. :guilty:

Here is a picture of the table:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0741.jpg
As you can see, I served almost all of the food in Tinkerbell cupcake wrappers. The menu was diced strawberries, diced cheese, corn, peas, diced grapes, piccolini, a couple of different appetizers (the pouch looking one contained southwestern style chicken and the little pie looking one contained Mediterranean vegetables), and mini cupcakes = TINY FOOD! There are four larger cupcakes in the middle of the little ones on which I used white icing to write "TINK". Everyone loved it. :yay::yay:

The runner on the table is left over Tinkerbell fabric from dresses that I made from the girls. For the pixie dust, I used various sided gold star confetti. (Thanks for the reminder!) The flowers are azaleas from our garden that the girls picked before dinner.

[lexmas]

subbing, I'll get caught up when I get a minute!

[ksl5f123]

:welcome: lexmas!!! Glad to have you along!

[ksl5f123]

I finished up our clothes shopping for the trip today. I got DH 3 pairs of shorts and some water shoes, sandles for me, water shoes for DD4, and pajamas for DS1. I spent about $80, but we will use everthing for more than just the trip. Hopefully, I will get it all washed up on Monday and add it to my ever expanding suitcase!

I also picked up the cute plush Buzz Lightyear that is currently $5 at Kohls. I intended him to be for DS1, but DD4 has kidnapped him.

We leave in 3 weeks!

[lexmas]

Oh my, that was a lot! I'm glad I'm here for the end stages of your planning, anyway!

I LOVE the flashbacks. I may need to do that myself!

The clothes are all so cute! Is it hard to make hairbows? You may have me planning... (is that bad considering DD doesn't have much hair yet? Certainly not enough for a hairbow!)

Did you ever figure out the DVD player thing? I have no suggestions, I was just wondering. We keep our kids rearfacing too, and I wouldn't want to turn them around either. But that's a long ride without anything to do!

I love the gift basket, it's adorable!

The meals are so cute too...really creative! I think DS would love something like that! But, knowing him, he would start expecting me to make all his food like that!

Can't wait to see what else you have left to do! You're getting close!

[ksl5f123]

Oh my, that was a lot! I'm glad I'm here for the end stages of your planning, anyway! I am so glad to have you along!!

I LOVE the flashbacks. I may need to do that myself!
Thanks! They were really fun to write. I enjoyed thinking about how much WDW has changed and it really helped me to focus on what I want to do the same and differently this trip.

The clothes are all so cute! Is it hard to make hairbows? You may have me planning... (is that bad considering DD doesn't have much hair yet? Certainly not enough for a hairbow!) The hairbows are really easy. It takes me about 15 minutes to make one. There is a great thread on the Family board about how to make them. You could always attach the bow to a headband for your DD. :cutie:

Did you ever figure out the DVD player thing? I have no suggestions, I was just wondering. We keep our kids rearfacing too, and I wouldn't want to turn them around either. But that's a long ride without anything to do! I am happy to hear that others leave their kids rear facing too. It is a real bone of contention between me and my mom. :rolleyes1 We have come up with a solution that we think will work. We are going to split the A/V cables coming out of the player and add a third screen for DS. We were able to pick up a 7" portable TV from JCPenney last week for $49 that has A/V input jacks. I am a little concerned because it is intended to pick up a tv signal through the air and clearly states that it does not work when in motion, but we are hoping that means that it can't get a signal when in motion but could display a signal from a DVD player. (boy, that was a long and confusing sentence - sorry)

I love the gift basket, it's adorable!

The meals are so cute too...really creative! I think DS would love something like that! But, knowing him, he would start expecting me to make all his food like that!


:rotfl2: Thanks again! I am having a lot of fun making the gift baskets. The parties have been great fun. We all really look forward to them.

[ksl5f123]

It has been such a busy week! DD4 finished preschool on Wednesday. DD6 has 6 more days of 1st grade and we leave in 2 weeks!! We did some more shopping today. We picked up a camera bag for the new camera we got on Christmas! I couldn't imagine carrying the camera for our whole trip without a bag.

One of the things I have been working on this week is finishing up the kid's welcome baskets. I have already shown you DD6's. DD4's is similar except everything is purple and Snow White. Here are the different things:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0779.jpg
And here is the basket all put together:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0780.jpg

Here are the things for DS1. He has a Cars cup, a Buzz flashlight and a Mickey photoalbum/autograph book.
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0781.jpg
And here is what it looks like all put together:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0782.jpg

Also this week, we had our Alice in Wonderland party (the animated version). For supper, we had a tea party with tea sandwiches, fruit, and apple tea (the same one they serve at Disneyworld! ;)) with un-birthday cake for dessert. Here is the picture of the table:
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/ksl5f123/old%20Disney%20photos/DSC_0769.jpg
I am the only member of our family who had seen this movie before. Apparently, it wasn't thrilling for DH - he fell asleep about 1/2 way through. :confused3 The girls watched it, but I think they were pretty confused. It is the only movie we have watched during our party nights that the girls haven't asked to watch again the next day. :upsidedow I think it is just a little too odd for them.

[lexmas]

The welcome baskets look great! I love all that snow white stuff...snow white is hard to come by!

Your DS's basket looks great too. My DS has that hat (well, one very similar to it) and he loves it. He wore it for 4 months straight after my dad died, slept with it and everything. So I've seen it often! :lmao: I may be relieved to not be seeing it so much anymore, if you know what I mean. :rolleyes1 Of course, now he has a hat with spiderman eyes, which isn't much better!

Can't believe it's two weeks until you go! I bet you're excited! Are you packed, or do you at least have a packing list going? Care to share? (I love packing lists!)

[ksl5f123]

The welcome baskets look great! I love all that snow white stuff...snow white is hard to come by!

Thanks! It is hard to find Snow White stuff. I am not quite sure why. It seems that she is really popular with the youngest girls.

Are you packed, or do you at least have a packing list going? Care to share? (I love packing lists!)

I have about half of our stuff packed. I do have a master packing list. I will gladly share if I can figure out how! My list is an excel file that I use for all trips. I plug in the number of days at the top and it tells me what to bring (yes, I am a geek!)

[lexmas]

I have about half of our stuff packed. I do have a master packing list. I will gladly share if I can figure out how! My list is an excel file that I use for all trips. I plug in the number of days at the top and it tells me what to bring (yes, I am a geek!)

Okay, that's completely amazing! I don't think it would be possible to post that...if I PM you with my e-mail address will you e-mail it to me? Now I'm more intrigued than ever! :goodvibes

[ksl5f123]

9 days until we leave!!!!! Everything is going by so fast! We had our last party last night. We watched Robin Hood. I didn't take any pictures, but I decorated the table with a green table cloth and branches from the maple tree in our yard. For supper we had stew, corn (which DD6 insisted looked like gold), and strawberry shortcake. DD4 is re-watching the movie now, so she must have liked it.

Lexmas, I would be happy to email you the packing list. Here is just a list of "things" to bring with out the # of each.

Overnight bag - things we will need to bring into the hotels along the drive -
shirts, pants, underwear, diapers, diaper wipes, pajamas, dress, skirt, dress pants, dress shoes, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, contact solution, contact case, glasses, hairbrush, hairband/bow, medicine, razor, makeup bag, jewelry bag, shampoo, conditioner, soap

swim bag - swimsuit, swim diapers, sunscreen, beach towel, goggles, swim shoes, swim toys

Main suitcases - this is all of the stuff for while we are at the resort - shirts, shorts, underwear, socks, hairbands/bows, diapers, diaper wipes, pajamas, sunscreen, Crocs, Tide, bra, hat, nail clippers, baby wash, comb, GAD voucher, birth certificate, AAA card, camcorder?, camcorder recharger, video tape

Food - things to bring - oatmeal, poptarts, banana bread, muffins, apple juice boxes, Diet Coke, Crystal Light packets, Kool-Aid, Cinnamon toast Crunch, peanut butter, cookies, crackers, water
- things to buy at a grocery store in Orlando - bananas, grapes, apples, milk, bread, bagels, cheese, wine

park bags - autograph cards, clipboard, sunblock, umbrella, hat, camera, mister fan, Sharpie, cell phone, moleskin, poncho, stroller cover, ziplocs, extra clothes, flashlight, chapstick, pins, sunglasses, batteries, towels, diapers, diaper wipes, voucher book, planning notebook, tissues, washcloths, meal packs, earplugs

For the room - shoe organizer, clothes pins, pop-up hamper, lysol wipes, mousekeeping tips, write-on/wipe off boards, nightlight, oust/febreeze, wine bottle opener, wine bottle stopper, cups/plates/bowls, paper towels, plastic utensils, cell charger, camera charger, quarters, power strip, milk crate

In the car - DVD players, Leapsters, Leapster cartridges, car bingo, maps, surprises for kids, strollers, tube style lawn chairs, cooler, chess game

Other girls dresses for BBB, ADR invites, plush to decorate room, trip journal for DD6, glowsticks/bracelets, kid's welcome baskets

Anybody see any glaring omissions? I am always worried that I make these big long lists and then forget the simplest stuff!

[lexmas]

That is quite the list! I don't think I could tell you if you missed something, it's so much! I will PM you my e-mail anyway, because I need to see this in spreadsheet form!

Robin Hood sounds fun! I keep laughing about your DD thinking the corn looked like gold. So funny!

I can't believe you leave so soon. Are your kids going crazy with anticipation? (Are you? I would be! :lmao:)

[ksl5f123]

OK, call me crazy, but with 8 days until departure I am considering changing our itinerary. :eek: Here is the current version with the possible changes in bold.

6/7 arrival day - Epcot - 5:20 at Tutto Italia - arrive at Epcot around 3 to see more of World Showcase
6/8 - AK - no change
6/9 - princess day - MK for BBB and CRT - Epcot for Akershus - no change
6/10 - DTD and AK or waterpark - no change
6/11 - Epcot FW - Seaworld
6/12 - MK - no change
6/13 - SWW and date night - no change
6/14 - 7 AM Chef Mickey - 9 AM to 11 AM - MK - hop to Epcot 12:15 Storytime - 5:55 Coral Reef - no MK, go straight to Epcot after CM, stay until after storytime, break at resort, return for dinner and evening stuff
6/15 - DHS - no change
6/16 - Seaworld - MK

What do you think? Am I crazy?

[lexmas]

I think that moving Seaworld to the middle of your trip is a great idea. You don't want to be wishing you were at WDW while you're at Sea World on your last day, and you won't feel that way in the middle.

I think the Epcot day seems a lot simpler this way, without all the jumping around.

I say go for it, I think the changes are great!

[TinksThree]

I'm with lexmas! The changes are "minor". Seaworld in the middle and ending the trip with MK sounds like a good plan! :thumbsup2

I had to share your packing list with DH...he thought I was crazy having mine. It was great showing him I am not the only one!! We have most of the same things!

[ksl5f123]

Thanks for the input everyone!!! I needed that vote of confidence. The more I think about it the more I like the new plan.

I had to share your packing list with DH...he thought I was crazy having mine. It was great showing him I am not the only one!! We have most of the same things!

My DH thinks I am crazy too. If it were up to him we would throw some clothes and toothbrushes in a suitcase Friday night and be ready to go. But he always appreciates when he needs something mid-trip that he didn't expect needing that I have packed it!

[ksl5f123]

We are getting so close now! This weekend we have done a few things to get ready.

Yesterday, DH, DD6, and I all got haircuts. DH has very curly hair and in the Florida humidity it gets really BIG if he doesn't keep it short. DD6 wears bangs that were down into her eyes so we got her an all around trim. I used to color my hair (stopped about 2 years ago). Last year I cut 14" off of my hair, but still had about 2 inches at the bottom that were a different color from the rest. I got those cut off yesterday, so my hair is finally all one color again.

I have been doing a little more shopping (I can't seem to quit!). Yesterday,I picked up a battery operated clip-on fan for DS1's stroller ($9) and some light up toys ($5 each) that I stuck Buzz Lightyear stickers on at Walmart. I also picked up some really thin cotton fabric ($7.50) that I will use to line the girls' princess dresses to reduce the "itchiness". Today, I picked up another case of water at Walgreens ($2.50). I now have enough water for each of us to get a new bottle every day.

Last night, DD6 and I packed all of the stuff on my "for the room" list except for the money. I will need to go to the bank on Tuesday for quarters laundry and small bills for tips.

Hopefully tonight, if I can stay focused, I will finish my planning notebook. I have to finish the plans for the final two days and redo a couple of things that I have changed recently.

[lexmas]

Less than a week to go!

Sounds like your plans are all coming together.

Oh, how I know about not being able to stop buying all those little things for the trip! Oh well, it's the little things that make it all come together.

Hope you finished your planning notebook!

[TinksThree]

My DH thinks I am crazy too. If it were up to him we would throw some clothes and toothbrushes in a suitcase Friday night and be ready to go. But he always appreciates when he needs something mid-trip that he didn't expect needing that I have packed it!

Men!! :rotfl2: That is exactly how mine is! He will pack as we are laoding the car!!


Hopefully tonight, if I can stay focused, I will finish my planning notebook. I have to finish the plans for the final two days and redo a couple of things that I have changed recently.

I am about to wrap up my planning book as well! I am laminating my plans soon! I am such a nerd :lmao: but last year we rode Kali River and our plans were in my pocket...they were useless after that!! I saw someone that had laminated their's and thought that is what I will do next time!!

Can you believe it is only 5 days away!! :banana:

[ksl5f123]

Oh, how I know about not being able to stop buying all those little things for the trip! Oh well, it's the little things that make it all come together.


I really think that having an excuse to do extra shopping is part of the fun. Of course, almost everything I am buying is for the kids.

[ksl5f123]

I am about to wrap up my planning book as well! I am laminating my plans soon! I am such a nerd but last year we rode Kali River and our plans were in my pocket...they were useless after that!! I saw someone that had laminated their's and thought that is what I will do next time!!

I think laminating your plans is a great idea. I am planning to keep my little notebook in a ziplock bag just in case. Now if I could only figure out where the little fingers hid my tabs....

[ksl5f123]

With 4 days to go, all the little things are in the works.

Yesterday, I pretty much took the day off to enjoy the holiday. We had a great time going to a cookout with some friends. The girls also started swim lessons yesterday. They are both doing pretty well. DD6 seems to have forgotten a little over the winter. In November, she could swim freestyle across the pool. Right now, she only makes it 5-6 feet. DD4 is taking real swimming lessons for the first time this year and so far is doing OK. She jumped in yesterday which I considered to be a huge accomplishment since her older sister never even got in the pool on the first day of lessons when she was 4.

My little notebook is still in a stage of "almost" finished. I will probably still be making notes in it as DH drags me out to the van Saturday morning!

Today was DD6's last day of first grade. Where did the year go? Her teacher had her first baby this morning! I used the time to finish a welcome letter from Tiana as well as one from the Fairy Godmother inviting them to BBB. I had to do those with DD6 out of the house because she has to be into everything I am doing.

This afternoon, I started working on lining DD4's dress. It is not going well. Apparently, I don't sew well enough to do this. I wonder if Walmart or Target have girls slips...

Tonight, I re-checked all of my ADRs. After the Akershus snafu I wanted to triple check all the days/times. We also pre-purchased our Photopass CD, bought Seaworld tickets, and did on-line check-in to POR!! Doing our check-in really made the trip feel close!!

[lexmas]

Wow, the last day of first grade! That's exciting!

I don't know the last time I saw a slip. LOL. I always overestimate my sewing skills, so I know what that is like!

Online check-in must make you feel REALLY close. How far in advance can you do that? It's right around the corner!

Now, when does excitement turn into panic that you're forgetting things?

[ksl5f123]

Online check-in must make you feel REALLY close. How far in advance can you do that? It's right around the corner!

Now, when does excitement turn into panic that you're forgetting things?

You can do online check in up to 10 days before your arrival. It is really easy and YES it did make it feel really close!

The panic starts......NOW! OK, just kidding, it started a couple of days ago!

[ksl5f123]

Well, this will probably be my last post of the pre-trip nature! We leave in just 6 hours. Of course, sleep is probably nowhere in my future. :rolleyes1

DH has already packed everything but the food and toiletries in the van. He and the kids are all asleep.

Today was a crazy day. DH had to teach this morning and get his final grades in so he could come home and help me pack. The kids and I worked on packing in the morning and made great progress. One thing that had really been stressing me out was that we had decided to buy a Leapster for DD4. I bought one on ebay on May 8 - it still has not arrived! :headache: So, I am trying to get a refund for that transaction and I bought another one on ebay on May 25 - it arrived at noon today - talk about cutting it close!!! :eek:

In the afternoon, we did some errands (bank, post office, all the usual stuff). DH returned the stroller fan that I bought a couple weeks ago because somehow I got one that needed to be plugged in! :confused3
Then I took both girls to swim lessons. DD6 is doing really well. DD4 does not like to get her head wet. :rolleyes: After swim lessons we inhaled some supper because DD4 had a dance recital (we had 75 minutes to get from the pool to the recital - in costume, hair and make-up). The show was fabulous! Lots of great :dance3:! DH and DD6 left at intermission (after DD4's performance) to come home and pack the car. By the time we got home, they were almost done. :yay:

Of course, just in case, you thought that meant I could relax a little, as I was finishing cleaning up the kitchen, DH checked facebook and found out that his cousin, her DH and their 3 kids are planning "to join us for a few days"! I don't mean to be :eek:, but I admit this makes me feel a little :headache: and a little :mad:. My in-laws are "everyone together or nobody at all" types which is nice because nobody ever feels left out, but I didn't get up at 5 AM on my 180 day to make ADRs that get cancelled because they can't increase a party of 9 to a party of 13! At least I have 2 days of driving to find my :) because if I show up with :mad: I am certain to be labeled :snooty:! Oh well. DH said we can go to DisneyLAND next time so all his FL relatives won't join in. :laughing:

pixiedust: to all those leaving soon! I hope you all have a great trip. Maybe we will see you around the World. We will be easy to recognize - I will be the pale person of German descent trying to get 12 relaxed Hispanics to stop analyzing the tree leaves and get on a ride already!

[lexmas]

Busy last day! You're probably leaving about now (or, if you're like us, planning on leaving now but nowhere close!) :laughing:

That's crazy that you're having last minute vacation visitors like that. Hopefully it all works out.

Have a great time! I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

[ksl5f123]

We got home last night at about 6 PM. So far today, I have made it to the grocery store and unpacked one suitcase. Hopefully, I will start a trip report tonight. We had a WONDERFUL time!

[TinksThree]

So glad you made it home! I hope your trip went well!! Looking forward to hearing about it! :yay:

I started my TR but it is slow going. I have been so busy and we leave Friday for a long weekend in Arkansas...more delays. But I guess that just prolongs the memories!!

[lexmas]

Glad you made it home safe and sound and had a great time! I can't wait to read all about it!

[ksl5f123]

The trip report is started! There is a link to it in my signature! Thanks to all who read along here and helped me plan our WONDERFUL trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!