eandesmom
I'm with Beast
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
My first PTR 
This is the first trip for our blended family of 6 to WDW. Both DH and I are from the west coast so grew up going to DL and most recently made it to WDW back in 2005 with my family where we rented two houses next door to each other about 5 minutes from the main gate! The youngest 2 (mine) were able to go but not not the older ones (my skids). There was 20 of us and it was just a blast. We did arrive a day before the houses were ready so spent one day at ASM. I'd always wanted to stay on property, both in DL and WDW but it had never worked out for a variety of reasons. Since then we've been plotting and planning trying to figure out a way to get all 6 of us together AND stay on property. Not an easy task with a tween and a teen, especially a super involved select sport tween (trying to find 7 days with NO major sports conflicts has ended up in 4 different rebookings!).
Thankfully the sport/school jockeying paid off. We started out with 6 nights at the Boardwalk in a 2B villa. Changed to 5 nights at OKW. Changed to 7 nights in a cabin. Changed to 7 nights in a cabin on the 4/3. Between all the date and room changing and airfares going down we are spending 2K less than we would have on the original ressie AND that includes our DDP AND the airfare!
So, as of right now, here's our trip plan! Our gang includes DH and I and
DS8, DS9, DSD12, DSS16
2/12: Arrive late at night. Have groceries ordered (including beer and wine) and will make dinner in the cabin. Have ordered custom coffee cups for each of us through the fabulous new disney shopping custom print option (ok, they LOOK fabulous online, we will see I guess) so that we can start off right away with coffee and cocoa in our own cups! Each has an image that seems to fit that person, their name and the year. With DSS at 16 I don't see us doing this again as a full group until they are all adults. Although...you never know! If you haven't seen this, check them out
http://disneyshopping.go.com/disney..._-1_36516__Home-&-Outdoor-Create-Your-Own-Mug
The options are unreal and it's not limited to mugs! I ordered them yesterday to be sent straight there. Fingers crossed that they are there for me at check in. What would be REALLY cool is if online check in is actually up and running by then and then I can get them somehow to take them to the cabin, unpack the box and set them on the table. Yeah, right. I tried that, I called a "dream maker" but apparently there really only is one "welcome" package. You can ADD to it, but not take away. And they can't welcome you until after you've already been to the room. Kind of takes away the welcome aspect if you ask me..not that it wouldn't be a cute surprise upon return but.... I may have to pack a couple of mini bar bottles of bailey's and some decaf so DH and I can break ours in for dessert that night, the kids will be all over the cocoa.
2/13 Breakfast in cabin, and then off to Epcot. CS lunch planned but will likely eat at different places depending on what people want. Dinner at the Biergarten. Illuminations and Evening EMH
2/14 This is the "whatever we feel like" day. I've planned 4 of the days around EMH, the other two are pretty open. Lazy hang at the fort or go wherever days. Younger two are voting for DHS so I'm guessing we will spend at least part of the day. Breakfast at the cabin and I hope to make it to DTD for lunch as I want to steer them all to Goofy's for snack. It is valentines day! Dinner at Kona. I'd looked into getting a gift basket of some sort delivered to the restaurant (wine for us, sparkling for the kids, etched mickey glasses) BUT decided that the cocktails were just too fun to pre-order wine, I know DH will want a rum runner or something to start, plus they have the kids pirate light up things. Still, it is Vday. DH is a caramel freak and while caramel apples can be found (hence the trip to Goofy's, I hope...not to mention the limited CS at DHS) plain caramels don't seem to exist. So I am having some treats sent for him from 2 favorite candy shops which aren't locally available at home either. Hoping to catch wishes from the beach after dinner.
2/15 DH's big morning adventure. He is off to SeaRey to fly an amphibian plane! He is SOOOOOOO excited. This is a kit plane he is going to build. Scary. Kids and I may eat in the cabin, may try Roarking Forks or the Main Street Bakery, not entirely sure. We will have a car for this day so likely that once DH gets back we will head out somewhere for lunch, whatever strikes our fancy. Could be another resort, could be DTD, whatever! I'm pretty open and intend to let the group pick. We are doing all of our TS at dinner so lunches are all CS. Bulk of the afternoon is planned for the MK. With the 2 older ones I don't see us spending as much time in this park as DHS and Epcot but we will see. Last time we were there with the younger 2 I think we hit Epcot and DHS (them MGM) every day lol! MK, AK and Universal Isles of Adventure one day. We had planned on doing universal but at the one day ticket prices, for 6 of us, just couldn't justify it since we had the park hopper. We are keeping an eye out, my original planning had found a buy 2 get 1 but...that doesn't seem to exist any more. We LOVED Islands of Adventure so that's a little sad. DSS is not a big thrill rider though, neither is DSD so the 2 you'd think would be the most bummed about not going there won't really care. DH however is sad.
Dinner at Teppan Edo (as there wasn't a place I wanted to dine in the MK and the kids will LOVE Teppan). Possibly back to MK after dinner for EMH but we will play that by ear. Could just be back to the Fort and watch wishes from the beach.
2/16 Our Official DHS day. Breakfast in Cabin, Lunch likely at backlot, Dinner at PTC. Would have done Mama Melrose if I could have gotten fantasmic but...oh well.
2/17. Tentative lazy day at the Fort. It is feb so it may be weather dependent. Due to the pool udpate we have use of the WL pool and if the weather cooperates is very very likely that's what we will do for a chunk of the day. Breakfast at the cabin, Lunch at RF or may run over to MK, DTD or I have a small list of other CS options if we feel like exploring (Pepper Market, POR or Hurricane Hanna's) although it may be too much work to bother with for lunch.
9:30 Hoop de Doo! Hopefully the older kids will like it. I know everyone will love the food.
2/18. AK day. Breakfast at the cabin and then off. Lunch at Flame Tree
Dinner at Boma!
2/19: Pack lunches for the plane and leave at an insane hour. Dreading that.
2/20. Younger two don't have school so while I have to work, I plan to do it from home and sleep in!
Ok...what did I miss?
This is the first trip for our blended family of 6 to WDW. Both DH and I are from the west coast so grew up going to DL and most recently made it to WDW back in 2005 with my family where we rented two houses next door to each other about 5 minutes from the main gate! The youngest 2 (mine) were able to go but not not the older ones (my skids). There was 20 of us and it was just a blast. We did arrive a day before the houses were ready so spent one day at ASM. I'd always wanted to stay on property, both in DL and WDW but it had never worked out for a variety of reasons. Since then we've been plotting and planning trying to figure out a way to get all 6 of us together AND stay on property. Not an easy task with a tween and a teen, especially a super involved select sport tween (trying to find 7 days with NO major sports conflicts has ended up in 4 different rebookings!).
Thankfully the sport/school jockeying paid off. We started out with 6 nights at the Boardwalk in a 2B villa. Changed to 5 nights at OKW. Changed to 7 nights in a cabin. Changed to 7 nights in a cabin on the 4/3. Between all the date and room changing and airfares going down we are spending 2K less than we would have on the original ressie AND that includes our DDP AND the airfare!
So, as of right now, here's our trip plan! Our gang includes DH and I and
DS8, DS9, DSD12, DSS16
2/12: Arrive late at night. Have groceries ordered (including beer and wine) and will make dinner in the cabin. Have ordered custom coffee cups for each of us through the fabulous new disney shopping custom print option (ok, they LOOK fabulous online, we will see I guess) so that we can start off right away with coffee and cocoa in our own cups! Each has an image that seems to fit that person, their name and the year. With DSS at 16 I don't see us doing this again as a full group until they are all adults. Although...you never know! If you haven't seen this, check them out
http://disneyshopping.go.com/disney..._-1_36516__Home-&-Outdoor-Create-Your-Own-Mug
The options are unreal and it's not limited to mugs! I ordered them yesterday to be sent straight there. Fingers crossed that they are there for me at check in. What would be REALLY cool is if online check in is actually up and running by then and then I can get them somehow to take them to the cabin, unpack the box and set them on the table. Yeah, right. I tried that, I called a "dream maker" but apparently there really only is one "welcome" package. You can ADD to it, but not take away. And they can't welcome you until after you've already been to the room. Kind of takes away the welcome aspect if you ask me..not that it wouldn't be a cute surprise upon return but.... I may have to pack a couple of mini bar bottles of bailey's and some decaf so DH and I can break ours in for dessert that night, the kids will be all over the cocoa.
2/13 Breakfast in cabin, and then off to Epcot. CS lunch planned but will likely eat at different places depending on what people want. Dinner at the Biergarten. Illuminations and Evening EMH
2/14 This is the "whatever we feel like" day. I've planned 4 of the days around EMH, the other two are pretty open. Lazy hang at the fort or go wherever days. Younger two are voting for DHS so I'm guessing we will spend at least part of the day. Breakfast at the cabin and I hope to make it to DTD for lunch as I want to steer them all to Goofy's for snack. It is valentines day! Dinner at Kona. I'd looked into getting a gift basket of some sort delivered to the restaurant (wine for us, sparkling for the kids, etched mickey glasses) BUT decided that the cocktails were just too fun to pre-order wine, I know DH will want a rum runner or something to start, plus they have the kids pirate light up things. Still, it is Vday. DH is a caramel freak and while caramel apples can be found (hence the trip to Goofy's, I hope...not to mention the limited CS at DHS) plain caramels don't seem to exist. So I am having some treats sent for him from 2 favorite candy shops which aren't locally available at home either. Hoping to catch wishes from the beach after dinner.
2/15 DH's big morning adventure. He is off to SeaRey to fly an amphibian plane! He is SOOOOOOO excited. This is a kit plane he is going to build. Scary. Kids and I may eat in the cabin, may try Roarking Forks or the Main Street Bakery, not entirely sure. We will have a car for this day so likely that once DH gets back we will head out somewhere for lunch, whatever strikes our fancy. Could be another resort, could be DTD, whatever! I'm pretty open and intend to let the group pick. We are doing all of our TS at dinner so lunches are all CS. Bulk of the afternoon is planned for the MK. With the 2 older ones I don't see us spending as much time in this park as DHS and Epcot but we will see. Last time we were there with the younger 2 I think we hit Epcot and DHS (them MGM) every day lol! MK, AK and Universal Isles of Adventure one day. We had planned on doing universal but at the one day ticket prices, for 6 of us, just couldn't justify it since we had the park hopper. We are keeping an eye out, my original planning had found a buy 2 get 1 but...that doesn't seem to exist any more. We LOVED Islands of Adventure so that's a little sad. DSS is not a big thrill rider though, neither is DSD so the 2 you'd think would be the most bummed about not going there won't really care. DH however is sad.
Dinner at Teppan Edo (as there wasn't a place I wanted to dine in the MK and the kids will LOVE Teppan). Possibly back to MK after dinner for EMH but we will play that by ear. Could just be back to the Fort and watch wishes from the beach.
2/16 Our Official DHS day. Breakfast in Cabin, Lunch likely at backlot, Dinner at PTC. Would have done Mama Melrose if I could have gotten fantasmic but...oh well.
2/17. Tentative lazy day at the Fort. It is feb so it may be weather dependent. Due to the pool udpate we have use of the WL pool and if the weather cooperates is very very likely that's what we will do for a chunk of the day. Breakfast at the cabin, Lunch at RF or may run over to MK, DTD or I have a small list of other CS options if we feel like exploring (Pepper Market, POR or Hurricane Hanna's) although it may be too much work to bother with for lunch.
9:30 Hoop de Doo! Hopefully the older kids will like it. I know everyone will love the food.
2/18. AK day. Breakfast at the cabin and then off. Lunch at Flame Tree
Dinner at Boma!
2/19: Pack lunches for the plane and leave at an insane hour. Dreading that.
2/20. Younger two don't have school so while I have to work, I plan to do it from home and sleep in!
Ok...what did I miss?
