Jaina
Actually, my name is Sara. It's a long, VMK story.
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2005
Finally pulled the trigger! I bought our tickets a few days ago (before the corporate discounts go away). $1413 for 3 "adult" and 2 "child" 4-day park hoppers. Crazy amounts of money, my friends. But I am very excited to know that we _ARE_ going, sometime before Dec 2017, when those tickets have to be used by. But really, we're pretty set on our trip the week after Thanksgiving. We briefly considered a 5-day pass (since it was only $67 total more) but decided we're going to be worn out after 4 days, and I'm -thinking- about doing Photopass for that same amount. We've never done that before, but it would be really nice with so many of us and so many little ones.
I added another night (so Monday through Thursday night) to our reservation at Stanford Inn & Suites so we can sleep there after our last night. Also, made reservations for a hotel room Sunday evening when we drive to Anaheim. The baby and I will stay at one of my friends' houses, but there are just too many of us to expect decent sleep at someone's house, (that also has several of its own kids) and we want to be rested for Disney. So we'll hang out with friends that evening, then DH will take the four older kids to the hotel to sleep. By sleeping at a friend's house we do save the cost of an additional hotel room, which isn't super cheap the weekend of Thanksgiving.
Did I mention that when we leave Anaheim on Friday (the 2nd) we are driving not home, but to Flagstaff, AZ (about 7.5 hours) and Saturday doing the "North Pole Experience" with MIL? That is her main Christmas gift to her grandkids (we have 5 of the 6) this year. So that week, before December ever really starts, is going to be crazy and fun and exciting, and the rest of the holidays might seem like a bit of a let down. I'll have to think of some ways to keep it special even though most of the spending will be done. (special in a way that kids will appreciate, not think is kind of lame, hopefully)
I've been reading through this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/what-was-the-biggest-disney-meltdown-youve-witnessed.3497694/ and hoping we don't end up in it. DD6 is especially prone to tantrums and screaming, and I'm hoping she behaves herself... and that the adults do too, haha.
And I've started prepping the kids. We are starting to do more walking (super hot weather permitting) and I've been making a mental list of all the movies we should refresh (or see, for the DS2) on before we go. Any you would add to this list?
Dumbo
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
Song of the South clips (on Youtube, Brer Rabbit and friends)
Pirates of the Caribbean? (-maybe- for the oldest - I think it's scary)
Fab Five cartoons, but they've seen a ton of those, and of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Winnie the Pooh
Tarzan
Monsters, Inc/University and the Toy Story ones (though those are basically on repeat if we let DS2)
A Bug's Life
Cars
Up
Tinkerbell movies
Frozen
Still hashing out the t-shirts. Constantly re-thinking and changing the red/blue Mickey/Minnie set and the Star Wars ones. I need 2 more for Mickey/Minnie and 1 more for Star Wars I think. It would be easy to just go buy some at the Disney Store, but I refuse to spend more than $6-10 a shirt, so I have to watch for ones that will work to be on sale. All of this is harder with a 6-week-old attached to me 20/7...
I added another night (so Monday through Thursday night) to our reservation at Stanford Inn & Suites so we can sleep there after our last night. Also, made reservations for a hotel room Sunday evening when we drive to Anaheim. The baby and I will stay at one of my friends' houses, but there are just too many of us to expect decent sleep at someone's house, (that also has several of its own kids) and we want to be rested for Disney. So we'll hang out with friends that evening, then DH will take the four older kids to the hotel to sleep. By sleeping at a friend's house we do save the cost of an additional hotel room, which isn't super cheap the weekend of Thanksgiving.
Did I mention that when we leave Anaheim on Friday (the 2nd) we are driving not home, but to Flagstaff, AZ (about 7.5 hours) and Saturday doing the "North Pole Experience" with MIL? That is her main Christmas gift to her grandkids (we have 5 of the 6) this year. So that week, before December ever really starts, is going to be crazy and fun and exciting, and the rest of the holidays might seem like a bit of a let down. I'll have to think of some ways to keep it special even though most of the spending will be done. (special in a way that kids will appreciate, not think is kind of lame, hopefully)
I've been reading through this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/what-was-the-biggest-disney-meltdown-youve-witnessed.3497694/ and hoping we don't end up in it. DD6 is especially prone to tantrums and screaming, and I'm hoping she behaves herself... and that the adults do too, haha.
And I've started prepping the kids. We are starting to do more walking (super hot weather permitting) and I've been making a mental list of all the movies we should refresh (or see, for the DS2) on before we go. Any you would add to this list?
Dumbo
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
Song of the South clips (on Youtube, Brer Rabbit and friends)
Pirates of the Caribbean? (-maybe- for the oldest - I think it's scary)
Fab Five cartoons, but they've seen a ton of those, and of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Winnie the Pooh
Tarzan
Monsters, Inc/University and the Toy Story ones (though those are basically on repeat if we let DS2)
A Bug's Life
Cars
Up
Tinkerbell movies
Frozen
Still hashing out the t-shirts. Constantly re-thinking and changing the red/blue Mickey/Minnie set and the Star Wars ones. I need 2 more for Mickey/Minnie and 1 more for Star Wars I think. It would be easy to just go buy some at the Disney Store, but I refuse to spend more than $6-10 a shirt, so I have to watch for ones that will work to be on sale. All of this is harder with a 6-week-old attached to me 20/7...
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That is frustrating. I haven't been able to get my little guy interested in "Cars," which I really want him to like, since Cars Land is so awesome. They just decide to like what they want, I guess! All my littles love watching rides on YouTube, and I think it really helped with them not being too scared of stuff the last time we went, and being willing to try anything. Pirates makes me nervous too. ;-) Actually, the Haunted Mansion creeps me out a bit, even though I enjoy the history and impressivity (not a word) of it all. I'm happy for HSM because I remember when I saw it, it had totally lost the creepy atmosphere. 
