I want to ride the cotton ball--A 4th of July family celebration! NEW PTR 8/31!!!

[Mickey_Mom]

Caught up! Did your DH know he was going to be featured in your TR with such a flattering silly pose? I almost spit on my keyboard!

Your boys are adorable and I love the train option. I too had no idea you could take your car with you.

Great start..... Three handles..... hmmmmmmm.

 

[Happydog]

Since several people were asking, I thought I would share a little about the car train...

Originally we had considered flying and with the going deals at the time (and really only up to a few weeks ago) we would have been able to fly out of VA for basically 800.00 (for the flights we wanted, it was 187 a person.) There were cheaper flights, but the times were terrible. We knew we wanted to rent a car -- a basic car would cost us around 200.00 - 250.00. An SUV, like the car we own, would be 470.00 for the week. The garage fee (for parking the car at the airport) another 88.00. Lunch or dinner at the airport, at best, 40.00. So if we went with the cheaper car, we were talking 1150.00 give or take. With an SUV, it would have been 1350.00 or so. The Amtrak car train was 1500.00 (1488.. something like that). Now this price was for the sleeper car option. There are two (roomettes - which we did) or full rooms (cabins) which we didn't do, b/c they only allow two people, and you can get two roomettes for a little more than the price of one cabin. With the overnight train, you get on at 2:30, take off by 4:30, and get wine and appetizers to start, dinner with more free wine or non-alcoholic beverage (soda, etc.), a private compartment with nice sized seats that swap to good sized bunks (made up beds with pillows, etc) coffee, tea, water 24 hrs, and ample restrooms on the car. 6 "1/2 baths" and 2 showers if you want, in our car, which has a total of eight 2 seat compartments and a max 6 person compartment (called the family room!). In the morning they had a nice continental breakfast, cereal, bread baskets, fresh OJ, coffee, and fruit. You arrive "by 9:30" -- we arrived an hour early both ways, the cars started rolling off the train 15 minutes after we arrived at 8:30 that am. Now if we wanted to do it for less, we could have booked the coach car which are essentially like seats on an airplane. Think international or red-eye flight, but for 14 hours! They have lounge cars, a movie nightly, the dining/bar car, and of course your seats/accomodations. SO there is something for everyone. (we had our DVD player for our boys -- the movie was kid-friendly). IF we had teenagers, I would maybe consider this... the cost was 900.00ish, so definitely a real deal with the car... BUT we had great expectations our first day at Disney, and I didn't want to be travel worn. I knew if we stayed in the coach car, based on what reviews I had read, we would not be getting any/much rest. The boys particularly.
We paid the "extra" 300.00 or so (in our eyes) for comfort and a nice car. OUR car. As I mentioned, it could be done for less. a LOT less, and I saw lots of people with kids doing it. Our first try, though, and we were not willing to gamble. In one review I had read some parents don't really contain their kids, so children were up and down the aisle all night long. NO thank you -- the roomettes were perfect. It was a little splurge, but we felt what we got was worth it. Now if you were short on time, not so much. Meaning we had to sacrifice time (overnight) both ways. But we would not have changed our Disney reservation or added these nights, so in a way it was just part of our vacation; thus another way to look at it is a hotel night there and back -- which would be the case if we had drove. So kinda like first class for us and no wear and tear on the car, and an enjoyable trip for everyone. This dollars and SENSE made it an easy decision for us. And our first day at Disney started when we rolled into OKW by 11am! After those quick stops....which is coming up ... three handles, wheels, and all... OOPS. I slipped.. Coming up as soon as I finish slogging on this treadmill and down load the requisite photos!!!!

 

[Happydog]

Caught up! Did your DH know he was going to be featured in your TR with such a flattering silly pose? I almost spit on my keyboard!

Your boys are adorable and I love the train option. I too had no idea you could take your car with you.

Great start..... Three handles..... hmmmmmmm.

HA! Regarding DH, well, there was a SILLIER photo... but I can't post that one!!

YES! we knew about it but never had a reason to try it, really, until, DISNEY

 

[Happydog]

So we got the car, we put our few bags from the train into the car and started out to WDW. A few minutes on the interstate and my husband said under his breath... "shucks". Well, he didn't exactly say "shucks" but you get the idea I replied, "what's wrong?!" thinking we were out of gas, he made the resort reservation for the wrong date, something horrific... His reply? "I forgot the stroller". Now we have a great Maclaren techno-duo stroller. It has been everywhere. Europe, three times, cross country dozens of times, and it has been a trusty friend to our family. We had decided to bring it one more time on this trip, thinking it would help DS7 out if he needed a break from the heat and walking, and would help us navigate large crowds safely without loosing anyone. And if you read my PTR, you know that right before we left his knee got rather swollen and he had to have an MRI. So not having the stroller was an issue for us. So we programmed "Target" into the GPS and stopped an exit down the highway to check there. We saw a few things, but then I told my DH to do the same thing for Babies R Us. So we did, and again a few more exits down the highway we pulled off. There we found a simple "side by side" Jeep stroller for 89.99. It would have cost us twice as much to rent a Disney stroller, so we plunked down the $ and pulled it out of the box in the parking lot and threw it in the back of our car to assemble when we got to OKW. This was our three-handled, mistake that I affectionately reminded my DH about, suggesting that it was to come out of his allowance not mine!!

We continued along the way and then, finally, we came to the gates of Mecca...

I wonder how many photos of these gates are on the DISboard !!

Here I am egging my DH on to BEAT the ME... BEAT the ME!!

We rolled into Old Key West, went to check in, and our room was ready! They gave the boys balloon swords, and had given us our room requests (walking distance to the pool/main buildings and 3rd floor) . They gave us our keys and welcome packet, and I walked to the villa with the boys while DH brought the car over. We got into the room, and unpacked. Now initially I had set our reservation at Sanaa early, so we could go to Animal Kingdom and then eat and get back to the resort to check in (thinking we wouldn't have the room beforehand). However, since the villa was ready, I made a quick call in the room to the dining line and bumped our ADR from 5:25 to 6:40. That gave us an extra hour in the park.

Here are a few shots that first day of our villa. We had a two bedroom villa. There was a lot of glorious space.

A few were taken that night, b/c I was distracted earlier on. Also with the assembly of our new unexpected purchase.... here it is:

At least it was easy to put together.

We unpacked, changed, then packed the WallE stuff sacks with water, a few snacks, bug spray, etc., and headed off to the AK!!!! The stuff sacks were a a hugely helpful item on this trip. The stroller did not have a basket at all, so with these two babies laced over the handles on the stroller side by side, we had room for the few items we needed to bring daily.

The day was a bit blurry for us, but I will tell you that the AK was great, crowds very reasonable at that point, since we didn't arrive at the AK before 1:30 and I think many were or already had left. The weather wasn't opressive, hot, but not unbareably so. We took care of getting our annual passes (with the 10% off due to the referral offer), and used our Visa rewards to pay for a portion of them! We then headed into the park, and our first stop was an Everest FP (four so we could go and DS7 could go twice) and then the family took on the Kali River Rapids Ride. in short, DS4 and I got soaked. 10-minute shower soaked. Gallons of water over your head soaked. It is sweltering hot, thank goodness I can get wet, soaked. It was fabulous. We visited several attractions and saw the parade.

Rode Everest and Kali again. But this time DH sat with DS4 and it must have been his luck, because again DS4 got soaked, and the lucky daddy next to him got soaked as well... I got my first Disney snack: the ICE CREAM SANDWICH at Dino Bites

Again, I get the hang of photos later in the week. The first day I didn't snap much, though I did get some of the "visitors" who joined us for dinner at Sanaa... But you will have to wait for that one!!

 

[tinkgurl]

Haha...our rooms look exactly the same! What building were you in?! We were in building 46 and also on 3rd floor!

 

[stace208]

Your boys are really cute! They look like they enjoyed the train ride. I wish they had a car train out of Richmond.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[jezaduck24]

Read your PTR in awe....you are one of those super-industrious moms I aspire to be! Can't wait to hear about your trip!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I'm here, now going back to read!

 

[Happydog]

Hi. I'm glad you started your TR! The train sounds like a great start to your vacation and then you had your car at the end.

Did your Babies r Us purchase have wheels too?

Thanks! I just read yours tonight! AND YES, as you have now read if you read these posts in order, it did have wheels!!!!

 

[Happydog]

Haha...our rooms look exactly the same! What building were you in?! We were in building 46 and also on 3rd floor!

HA! I know, you don't say!! we were in 62 -- right across Peninsular Road. it was a great location, and we could see illuminations!

 

[Happydog]

Your boys are really cute! They look like they enjoyed the train ride. I wish they had a car train out of Richmond.

Can't wait to read more!

Well Lorton isn't that far, is it? There were people from NY driving down to catch it, judging by the licence plates I saw, so I would tell you it wouldn't be a stretch to still consider it!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

You have the cutest little boys! I think the auto train would be the way to go, but there is no such thing in Kansas....
We stayed at OKW this past March and June 08 and loved it, it has such a laid back feel...
Can't wait to read more!

 

[Happydog]

Read your PTR in awe....you are one of those super-industrious moms I aspire to be! Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Super-industrious or super foolish!! Its half for me and half for them.. so thankyou!! and more importantly, WELCOME! I am glad you are here! AND I am excited for you, because I see you are on your way to a trip very soon, your first??? WAY COOL! You will find so many smart DISNEY people on the DISboard. I still am amazed!

Thanks for the nice words! More tomorrow!!

 

[Happydog]

I'm here, now going back to read!

You have the cutest little boys! I think the auto train would be the way to go, but there is no such thing in Kansas....
We stayed at OKW this past March and June 08 and loved it, it has such a laid back feel...
Can't wait to read more!

Thanks! I am glad you are here, too! Fun to compare notes. WE are at the Beach Club for Christmas! Dec 20 - 27th, I know you are going there in May but have you been before?

I really liked OKW too!

They are two squirrels, but lots of love!

Yeah we are lucky the train goes our way!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Thanks! I am glad you are here, too! Fun to compare notes. WE are at the Beach Club for Christmas! Dec 20 - 27th, I know you are going there in May but have you been before?

I really liked OKW too!

They are two squirrels, but lots of love!

Yeah we are lucky the train goes our way!

We were at the Beach Club in June, our move over will be in the next update! We will be at Kidani Dec 20 - 25th, and yes, we are flying home on Christmas.....

 

[shannn]

I just read your whole pretrippie. When I'm yelling at my kids tomorrow because I'm trying to sleep in, I'll think of you!

Your boys are adorable; your binder-thingy is amazing; your tshirts are precious; and I can't wait to see you using those mailbags!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

The boys relaxing on their beds is the cutest photo EVER. They are just adorable. Oh, "shucks" on the stroller. But yeah for making the best of it.

Did you love OKW? I really like it. I want to buy Beach Club so I can have the advantage when it comes to Food & Wine time but OKW is a close second to me. So relaxing. And larger rooms can't be beat! Peninsular Road... great memories. Wish I was there.

Can't wait for more!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Too cute!!!!!

 

[Happydog]

Sorry for the goofy joke! Bwah hah.

OKAY, so we LOVE indian food. And while we really enjoyed Boma (NO question our favorite buffet so far) we thought it was a bit too loud in there, and maybe due to our table location (right along the line to get to the buffet -- so people were standing in front of our dinner table!) we thought to try something else. Sanaa had just opened. I looked at the menu and it was an easy sell.

I didn't take pictures of the food or restaurant this first time... I think I was too busy enjoying everything and it was our first afternoon there so I was soaking it all in.

Anyway after a fabulous time at the AK... here is my photo of the gate that afternoon!

And a few of the parade!

I think all the guys on stilts look so neat! And the "mechanical" animal floats that are human operated.... I have to download those for the second AK day....

We then slowly made our way to the parking lot, and headed to the AK Villas at Kidani. It was hot, but we were still quite "damp" from our final ride on the Kali... I had changed our ressie time, so we arrived at 6:30... They greeted me gave me our buzzer and we went out side to see the Savannah...

Someone decided they wanted to crash our dinner party...

Well I told him very nicely we only had a table for 4 so he went off to find some hay

The buzzer rang and in we went to eat!

These photos are courtesy of the DIS dining review of Sanaa... I just took pictures of animals!!!

The dining room was very nice. about 3/4 full. We were sat at a table just near the windows, not directly in front, but still with an excellent view of the savannah (the table in this photo looks like the one we sat in!)

We ordered the bread appetizer... I forgot the grab that photo, but it was Naan and another stuffed bread, spicy, very tasty. It came with three "dips" that you could choose from a variety ... chutney, yogurt sauce, a hummus. ALL very good.

The boys ate some naan while we waited for our orders....

I ordered them the Tandoori Chicken with mashed potatoes. It came with carrrots and celery first, then fruit and greenbeans as well as the chicken and potatoes... and an eggless (dense) chocolate cake for dessert.... They ate all the chicken and potatoes, some veggies all the carrots and fruit and dessert. I was impressed -- fresh food.

We had these combos exactly, A chicken Curry, beef shortribs and the very common Indian spinach dish with paneer cheese, and also the shrimp. They allowed my DH to substitute out rice for the spinach, so he had three "dishes" .. They were all good, especially the shrimp!!

We had drinks -- DH had a beer, and I had an African Star Mojito, or something like that.. tangerine? Anyway, a little too sweet, but still refreshing...

Dessert was wonderful... we each had a cappuccino (as our non-alcoholic bev on the plan) and the cardamom butter cake with saffron (excellent) and this chilled chai flavored creme (mouse-ish).... also very very good.

We then went outside (there was a fire pit already started) and we sat on the rocking chairs in the animal viewing area for a short time.. These are the final photos that I took...

Needless to say my kids were captivated with the view. WE were very happy with the dining choice and the atmosphere, and the food and service were great. We'll be back to Sanaa, NO question.

We then drove back to OKW, boys took quick baths and DH went to get our refillable mugs, and right before bed the boys were "surprised" by the fireworks from our balcony (Illuminations could be seen right over the rooftops quite well!!! They went straight to bed after that, and DH and I then went to bed about 11pm. We wanted to get a good sleep in before our first FULL day, though it truly felt like a full day!!

Next up... EPCOT and the cotton ball!

 

[Charleston Princess]

A few minutes on the interstate and my husband said under his breath... "shucks". Well, he didn't exactly say "shucks" but you get the idea I replied, "what's wrong?!" thinking we were out of gas, he made the resort reservation for the wrong date, something horrific... His reply? "I forgot the stroller".

Shame on him! This is why I have about a million lists when it is time to go: the main one in the trip binder, another copy where I cross stuff off, another shorter list where I put all the last-minute items to throw in the car as we are leaving...I'm not OCD or anything.

Yeah, your pilgrimage is complete!

Here are a few shots that first day of our villa. We had a two bedroom villa. There was a lot of glorious space.

Everyone had their own bed! Hurray!

We took care of getting our annual passes (with the 10% off due to the referral offer), and used our Visa rewards to pay for a portion of them!

Now that you have annual passes you should consider a fall trip!

Rode Everest and Kali again. But this time DH sat with DS4 and it must have been his luck, because again DS4 got soaked, and the lucky daddy next to him got soaked as well... I got my first Disney snack: the ICE CREAM SANDWICH at Dino Bites

Glad to hear DH was able to enjoy a nice refreshing soaking as well!

Someone decided they wanted to crash our dinner party...

This is an awesome picture -- I fell in love with the giraffes on our trip!

Dinner sounds absolutely delicious! We will have to try it sometime!

I never get tired of giraffe pictures!